Huge blaze rips through buildings near the opera house Palais Garnier in the centre of Paris
- Fire broke out in building on Bouvelard des Capucines, Paris this morning
- Prefecture de Police have told people to avoid the area
- The fire near the Place de L'Opera sent plumes of smoke rising into the air
- There are 120 firefighters tackling the blaze which started at 10.30am in an office
A large fire broke out in a building in Paris on Saturday morning near the Place de L'Opera square.
The building on 17 Boulevard des Capucines, near the Place de L'Opera square, erupted into flames and sent clouds of smoke rising into the air.
It started at 10.30am in Paris, in an office, on the third floor of the building which is made up of seven floors.
The fire took hold in the building which is situated between the 2nd and 9th arrondissement of Paris this morning and above a Bennetton store and a Five Guys.
There are no reported deaths or injuries following the blaze.
In a statement on Twitter the Prefecture de Police said: 'Firemen are intervening, avoid the area.'
Firefighters are still working to put the blaze out and stop it from spreading and have been on the scene for almost two hours.
A large fire broke out in an office on 17 Boulevard des Capucines in Paris this morning
According to BFMTV there are 120 firefighters on site who will be working all day to put out the fire.
Firefighters have not evacuated anyone from the building.
A cordon has been deployed and firefighters and French police are asking people to avoid the area.
Place de L'Opera has been closed along with the nearby metro station.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established.
There are 120 firefighters on site who will be working all day to put out the fire
A map shows where the fire took hold, on Boulevard des Capucines near Place de L'Opera
A spokesperson for the firefighters said half an hour ago that the fire is not yet completely under control but they are mainly working to prevent it spreading.
The fire hit the 3rd floor of the building and a little of the 4th floor and there is housing on the last two floors of the block.
Earlier, a drone was also deployed to survey the extent of the damage to the building from the air.
Plumes of smoke have been seen across central Paris as the fire is put out by firefighters
Social media users took to Twitter to share videos of the ferocious blaze as it first took hold.
Pictures and videos were also circulated as firefighters began to bring the blaze under control and worked to stop it spreading.
Some shared their sadness over the fire, with one person tweeting: 'Triste triste' (sad, sad) and others shared videos of the beginning of the fire, saying it was a 'strange morning.'
The building where the fire took hold is near the Place de L'Opera
Onlookers in Paris watch as flames take hold of the building
Police and firefighters are working all day at the scene to put out the fire
Smoke plumes emerge from the large building near the Place de L'Opera
A cordon is in place and police and firefighters have asked people to avoid the area
