There was mild pandemonium on Saturday evening in a building in a northern Paris suburb after a fire broke out killing no fewer than three people and injuring eight, including a child who is in a critical condition, officials have officially confirmed.
According to the Police, the fire began sometime around 2:00 am (0100 GMT) on the ground floor of the building in Stains, an immigrant-majority town about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Paris.
Africa Today News, New York reports that twenty-four fire engines and 88 firefighters fought tirelessly to douse the blaze and one fireman was slightly injured.
The other residents of the building were subsequently evacuated and given shelter in a sports hall.
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An enquiry has been launched into the cause of the fire.
In another report, witnesses have said that a significant outburst of gunfire took place on Saturday in the central area of Conakry, the capital of Guinea, resulting in the swift blockade of the vicinity by security forces.
The rationale for the sustained gunfire remained unclear in this West African country, where Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has been at the helm since September 2021, following his takeover in a coup that terminated 11 years of civilian rule.
‘There is gunfire from both automatic and weapons of war in Kaloum,’ the political and administrative heart of the seaside city, a witness from the area said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
‘The city centre has been sealed since dawn, we can neither enter, nor leave,” a shopkeeper added, also speaking on condition of anonymity.’
‘I wanted to go to the port area where I work but was prevented from leaving (Kaloum), where armoured vehicles have been deployed’.
According to multiple witnesses, the streets were deserted, and armored vehicles were strategically positioned at various locations, as reported.