Paris, Apr 8 (UNI) Three people died on Sunday after a fire broke out in an eight-storey building in the eastern part of Paris, local media reported.
According to French news channel BFMTV, the fire started at around 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) in the building located at 146 rue de Charonne in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.
Seventeen fire engines from the Paris fire brigade rushed to the scene and managed to contain the blaze, the news channel said, adding there was no risk of the flames spreading further.
Preliminary indications show that an explosion was heard in the early evening before the fire broke out, but the cause of the blast has yet to be determined, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.
The police have not ruled out the possibility of a gas explosion, while a criminal investigation has been launched, it added.
UNI/XINHUA GNK