Seven dead in Paris building blaze: fire service

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 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 told AFP at the scene.

Some of those affected scrambled on to nearby roofs to escape the smoke and flames, and needed to be rescued by fire crews.

With landmarks including the Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower, Paris Saint-Germain´s home stadium the Parc des Princes, the picturesque Bois de Bologne 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 3:30 am (0230 GMT), fire crews had finished evacuating the block on Erlanger Street but were still fighting the flames. Several surrounding buildings were also evacuated.

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

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