PARIS A fast-moving fire that appeared to be accidental swept through a birthday party in a basement bar in northwest France, killing at least 13 people and injuring six others, authorities said Saturday.
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According to Labadie, the birthday candles were the cause of the accident when the person who was holding the cake fell down the stairs to the basement. Those killed are believed to be between the ages of 18 and 25, though their identities have not yet been confirmed.
A judicial inquiry has been opened to determine the cause of the blaze, which began after midnight, Cazeneuve said in a statement.
The paper, without citing sources, said the ceiling, which was covered in a sound-reduction material, quickly ignited when candles were lighted.
One of the injured was in a critical condition, the secretary general of the Seine-Maritime prefecture Yvan Cordier told AFP.
That allayed initial public concerns that it could have been a terrorist attack in a city that this week buried a priest who was knifed to death by Islamists in his church.
He said more than 50 firefighters were battling the blaze in the centre of the city.
“Young people, some of them very young, had their lives cut short”, said French junior minister Clotilde Valter.
Firefighters leave after inspecting the Cuba Libre bar in Rouen.
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French police have ruled out terrorism.
