Eight dead in apartment fire in north Paris

The fire in the eighteenth arrondissement, the cause of which is unknown, broke out at around 4:30 am.

Firefighters work at the scene where a fire in an apartment building in the north of Paris killed eight people early on Wednesday. Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP

PARIS // A fire in an apartment building in the north of Paris early on Wednesday morning that killed eight people, including two children, may have been started intentionally, officials said.
The fire in the eighteenth arrondissement broke out at around 4:30 am and took more than 100 firefighters to contain it.
The eight victims included two who died after they attempted to escape through windows, according to police.
The fire started on the ground floor before spreading into the stairwell.
Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, present at the scene, said in addition to the eight dead, four were in a critical condition.
He said it was "too early to determine the causes of this tragedy".
President Francois Hollande said in a statement: "Everything is being done to shed light on the cause of this tragedy."
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said around 15 buildings in the working-class area of the district had been affected by the inferno.
The main apartment block affected was a private building, not a block of flats for low-income families, she added.
* Agence France-Presse