Huge fire in Paris sends black smoke across city of light as fire crews scramble to extinguish blaze

A MAJOR fire is ripping through a building in Paris, sending thick black smoke soaring over the city and into the suburbs.

The blaze appears to have broken out at the Syctom waste sorting centre in the 17th arrondissement on Monday afternoon.

Two aerial work platforms have been deployed as firefighters battle to contain the blaze, with fears the wooden beams of the modern building – constructed in 2019 – could collapse.

One driver managed to capture dramatic footage showing the building ablaze as flames engulfed the entire structure.

Several hundred people also gathered along the boulevard to watch, Le Parisien reports.

The Paris Fire Department has urged the public to avoid the area and warned local residents to “be careful” as emergency services work to tackle the inferno.

No official information has yet been released on the cause or extent of the damage.

So far, there are no reported injuries, according to the 17th arrondissement town hall, but the situation remains tense.

Onlookers across the city have been posting dramatic images of the smoke cloud rising into the sky, mistaking it at first for storm clouds.

From the southern edge of the Champ-de-Mars, visitor Malika from Toulouse told Le Parisien: “What’s this crazy? That’s not a normal cloud!”

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