New Delhi: A gas explosion took place on Wednesday in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, causing several buildings to catch fire, according to police, reported AFP.


At least 16 people were injured, including seven who are in critical condition, police said, according to AFP.


Police, fire services, and ambulance services immediately rushed to the scene to douse off the fire as a huge plume of smoke was seen in videos shared on social media.






According to a Paris police official, the facade of one building had fallen onto the street as a result of the explosion, and that many firefighters and members of the police force were attending to the scene, DailyMail reported.


As per the report, the Paris police department said they were making checks on the incident as they also warned people to avoid the area.


Just after 5 pm local time, local people described one big explosion and a smaller one, the Guardian reported. One person told France Info public radio, “It was shocking. It’s a disaster.”





The local deputy mayor, Edouard Civel, referred to a gas explosion in a Twitter post and witnesses told BFM TV there had been a strong smell of gas moments before the blast, reported Reuters.





Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the fire was locted on Rue Saint-Jacques in the 5th arrondissement close to the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne University.


According to Reuters, more than 200 firefighters were involved in the emergency response. TV images showed firefighters manning hoses and aiming jets of water at the blaze while a plume of thick black smoke billowed into the sky.


Speaking to Reuters, local bar employee Khal Ilsey said, "I heard a huge explosion and as I was leaving the restaurant, I saw flames at the end of Rue Saint-Jacques."


Art historian Monique Mosser told Reuters, "I was at home writing...I thought it was a bomb." She added that many of the windows in her building had been blown out by the blast's shockwave.


"A neighbour knocked on the door and told me that the fire brigade were asking us to evacuate as quickly as possible. I grabbed my laptop, my phone. I didn't even think to take get my medication."


In a similar incident in 2019, a gas leak caused an explosion that killed 4 people and injured 66 in the 9th arrondissement.