Paris fire: Eight dead in building blaze in wealthy neighbourhood

The blaze in the French capital's trendy 16th arrondissement also left 27 people with minor injuries

Firefighters and a police officer are seen near a building that caught fire in the 16th arrondissement in Paris, on February 5, 2019.  Seven people died and another was seriously injured in a building fire in a wealthy Paris neighbourhood on Monday night, the fire service said. The blaze, which took hold in an eight-storey block in the French capital's trendy 16th arrondissement, left 24 people, including two firefighters, with minor injuries.
 / AFP / Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT
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Eight people died and another was seriously injured in a building fire in a wealthy Paris neighbourhood on Monday night, the fire service said.

The blaze in the French capital's trendy 16th arrondissement also left 27 people — including three firefighters — with minor injuries.

"The toll could still increase because the fire is still in progress on the 7th and 8th floors" of the eight-storey block, a fire service spokesman said at the scene.

With landmarks including the Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower, Paris Saint-Germain's home stadium the Parc des Princes, the picturesque Bois de Boulogne and an array of upmarket shops and restaurants, the area is popular with tourists.

Fire service spokesman Clement Cognon said earlier: "We had to carry out many rescues, including some people who had taken refuge on the roofs."

At approximately 3.30am (0230 GMT), fire crews had finished evacuating the block on Erlanger Street but were still fighting the flames. Several surrounding buildings were also evacuated.

About 200 firefighters were still at the scene in the early hours of Tuesday, battling the blaze and treating the injured.