Four lives were tragically lost in fires that ravaged apartment buildings in two different Paris neighborhoods in France.
According to AFP, police sources and prosecutors confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
The first incident occurred near the Opera Garnier in the city center, where three bodies were discovered shortly after 8:00 am (0600 GMT) on the seventh floor of an apartment building.
The fire, which is thought to have ignited between 4:00 to 5:00 am, took place on Boulevard des Italiens.
Those killed “couldn’t get out of the window because of bars installed to prevent burglars getting in via the roof,” said Ariel Weil, mayor of the city’s four central districts.
“Around 10 people living on the same floor were rescued by firefighters who got in through the roof,” he added.
Weil and a police source mentioned that investigators are considering the possibility that the fire may have been caused by a gas leak.
In the late morning, several firefighting vehicles remained at the scene, as reported by an AFP journalist. Central Paris prosecutors have initiated an investigation into the incident.
Furthermore, prosecutors are also looking into another fatal fire in the 15th district, located near the Eiffel Tower in western Paris.
“A 60-year-old person was found dead and another is in critical condition, with two in serious condition,” investigators said.
A second police source stated that a woman lost her life in the fire, which apparently started in her apartment.
