Flames tore through an apartment block in Paris, killing at least eight people in the early hours of Tuesday, after what prosecutors said looked like an arson attack. Police said they had arrested a 40-year-old woman who lived in the building on suspicion of starting the blaze in the upscale 16th arrondissement. Firefighters in breathing apparatus scaled ladders to rescue residents stranded on balconies on the eight-storey block on Rue Erlanger. Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz said investigators believed the fire was started deliberately and a woman had been detained. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wrote on Twitter that the city was in mourning after the fire, which came less than a month after a gas blast in central Paris killed four people.

Source: dna February 05, 2019 09:56 UTC