Fire in Paris Apartment Building Kills 10, Woman Arrested in Suspected Arson

A fire in a Paris apartment building killed at least 10 people and injured at 36 others early Tuesday, sending tenants climbing out their windows to escape the flames, the Associated Press reports. Officials said a 40-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion that she started the blaze. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters the woman had a history of psychiatric problems. Firefighters rescued more than 50 who had either fled to the roof or crawled out their windows to get away. Others were evacuated from inside the eight-story building on Rue Erlanger in the 16th arrondissement, one of the city’s most high-end districts. “I heard a woman screaming in the street, crying and screaming for help,” witness Jacqueline Ravier, who lives on the block, told the AP. She said she saw smoke-covered victims fleeing, and other residents being brought to her building as firefighters continued to fight the flames. “We feel the smoke,” she said. “What’s surprising is how long it lasted.” The cause of the fire is still unclear.