France: Massive fire breaks out near Place de L’Opera square; no casualties reported

A massive fire broke out at the historic row in the heart of Paris on Saturday, November 20. Videos and images of the blaze on the Boulevard des Capucines showed the flames engulfing a row of buildings in the area. The building which caught fire is situated on Boulevard des Capucines near the Place de L’Opera square and the Palais Garnier opera house. In a clip posted by French TV channel BFMTV, emergency services were spotted outside the scene while the road was also blocked.

People were asked to avoid the area as the firefighters tried to silence the blazes. The images and videos also showed black smoke coming out from two windows in a building on the boulevard with the flames being visible from the streets. According to the Mirror report, the Prefecture de Police said in a statement that, “Firemen are intervening, avoid the area.” Another person who posted pictures of the fire noted that “It looks close to the Opera.”

As per the report, the cause of the fire remains unknown as of now and no casualties have been reported. It is also understood that around 100 firefighters were at the scene. Boulevard des Capucines gets its name from the Capucine Monastry and is located between the 2nd and 9th arrondissement in Paris. Additionally, Wladimir Garcin-Berson, a journalist working for French newspaper Le Figaro wrote on Twitter that the fire impacted several floors in the building above the Benetton and the Five Guys on the boulevard. 

The fire began on the third floor

Mirror stated that a firefighter told the reporters that the blaze had started on the third floor and their action would be for a couple of hours. Reportedly, the fire crews also said that the blaze hit the third floor along with the part of the fourth floor. Garcin-Berson said that firefighters were called to reports of a fire at around 10:30 AM (local time). He stated that the firefighters were seen dealing with the incident on the second floor of the building. 

Image: @vl_ambre/Twitter