Eleven injured in Paris apartment fire

PARIS - A fire in an apartment block in the centre of Paris has injured 11 people, the French fire brigade said.

The spokesman said he did not know what had caused the fire in the block, which mostly housed people of African origin.

The blaze comes just three days after 17 people were killed, at least six of them children, when fire tore through another apartment block housing African immigrants in the city.

Monday's fire broke out around 10pm (8am NZT) and was brought under control about an hour later.

"Three people have been seriously injured and eight people suffered light injuries, including two firefighters," the fire spokesman said.

He said about 120 firefighters were at the scene and everybody had been evacuated from the building, from which smoke was still billowing.

The building is close to Paris' Marais district, home to the city's Jewish and gay community.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the blaze.

Friday's fatal fire in southern Paris, whose cause was not immediately known, threw a spotlight back on the living conditions of immigrants in France.

In April, a blaze at a Paris hotel used by immigrants killed 24 people, half of them children. Police said in that case they had detained a young woman who admitted accidentally starting the fire.

- REUTERS