At least 15 people were killed and dozens more injured in a hotel fire in Paris Friday in one of the worst blazes to hit the French capital in 20 years, fire officials said. At least 57 people were injured, 12 of them seriously, at the six-storey Paris Opera budget hotel in the city's ninth district. Among the injured were people who jumped from windows. Some suffered shock after making the leap, while others suffered burns and smoke inhalation. Residents of the hotel, which was completely destroyed in the fire, said it was home to 75 people, including families originally from Africa with numerous children. Two-hundred-forty firefighters backed by 60 pump engines were deployed, fighting the fire both from the street and inside the hotel. The blaze was brought under control in just over an hour. The injured were treated initially in an adjacent well-known department store, Gallery Lafayette, and later taken to hospital. Bodies recovered from the hotel also were initially taken to the store. Investigators were looking into the cause of the fire and a police spokesman said he was not aware of existing safety problems at the hotel.
