Seven people are in critical condition after an explosion destroyed much of a building in central Paris Wednesday.
270 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to deal with the fire which resulted from the blast and the neighborhood where the blast occurred was cordoned off. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters that the blaze had been brought under control.
Deputy Mayor &Eacutedouard Civel said that the apparent cause of the blast was a gas explosion.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo visited the site of the blast and wrote on Twitter: “My thoughts go first of all to the victims and their close ones.”