PARIS (AP) — A powerful explosion and fire apparently caused by a gas leak at a Paris bakery Saturday injured several people, blasted out windows and overturned cars, police said.
Firefighters pulled injured victims out of windows and evacuated residents as smoke billowed out of the building on Rue de Trevise in the 9th arrondissement of north-central Paris. Witnesses described on French television the overwhelmingly sound of the blast and people trapped inside nearby buildings.
A Paris police spokeswoman said several injuries have been reported to police but no deaths. The spokeswoman, who wasn’t authorized to be publicly named, provided no further details.
Silver-helmeted firefighters and red firetrucks filled the street and inspected adjoining courtyards. Debris from a burned car and broken glass littered the pavement. A vehicle from gas company GRDF was stationed nearby.
The building is around the corner from the Folies-Bergere theater and not far from the shopping district that includes the famed headquarters of Galeries Lafayette.
The explosion came amid heavy security in Paris and around France for yellow vest protests expected later Saturday.