Three people have died following a fire in a Paris flat on the night of Monday 29 to Tuesday 30 April. A gas leak is thought to be the possible cause of this tragic event

According to a police source quoted by H24 MEDIA on Tuesday 30 April, at least three people lost their lives in a fire in a flat in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. In addition, one injured person, in a relative state of emergency, was transferred to Lariboisière hospital, according to the same source.

The incident began at around 4.30 am on Monday night, in a residential building on the Boulevard des Italiens in the heart of the capital. Initial indications suggest that it may have been triggered by a gas leak in a seventh-floor flat in the attic.

Ariel Weil, the borough mayor, told AFP that the victims ‘were unable to evacuate through the windows because of the anti-intrusion bars designed to prevent intrusion from the roof’. He also added that ‘ten other residents, living on the same floor, were rescued by the fire brigade who intervened via the roof’.

A major mobilisation of nearly twenty fire engines is underway. Two firefighters were injured but remained at the scene. The response was still ongoing late on Tuesday morning.