A blaze at an apartment block in Paris killed eight people in the early hours of Tuesday, February 5, at 1 am. It took a good five hours to get the fire under control and required at least 200 firefighters.
The police suspect arson and have arrested a woman. According to AFP, she will be charged with causing death due to arson.
The incident occurred in Rue Erlanger, a residential area in the French capital. The accused is also said to be a resident of the building situated near Bois de Bologne Park and Paris Saint-Germain's stadium Parc des Princes.
The residential buildings in the area are said to be centuries old.
Along with the eight casualties, the Paris fire department said that one man was seriously injured and around 30 people, including one firefighter, have minor injuries.
The death toll could increase since the upper floors haven't been searched. The fire department said that the upper floors of the eight-storey residential buildings saw the most violent fires.
"We had to carry out many rescues, notably for around a dozen people who had taken refuge on the roofs. In total about 50 people were evacuated by firefighters, including through the installation of ladders," Captain Cognon told AFP.
As a precautionary measure, two adjacent buildings were evacuated while streets in the area were blocked.
