A large fire broke out Wednesday morning in a building under construction next to Gare d'Austerlitz, a major railway station in Paris's 13th arrondissement, sending thick smoke over the French capital. The Daily Express reported that the blaze began close to the station on the left bank of the River Seine, with smoke visible from a distance across the city.
Roughly 100 firefighters and 30 fire engines were sent to the scene, according to the French outlet RTL, as cited in the reporting. No injuries or missing people had been reported at the time of the coverage, and train services at the station continued to operate normally.
Why it matters
Gare d'Austerlitz is one of Paris's principal rail terminals, serving routes that connect the capital with central and southwestern France. A serious fire in its immediate vicinity raises immediate questions about disruption to a busy transport hub and about safety at a site already undergoing years of construction work.
The incident also put a visible emergency response on display in the heart of the city, with smoke plumes rising above the skyline and drawing attention from residents and passersby. The fact that rail operations were unaffected and no casualties were reported kept the episode from becoming a wider transport emergency, but the scale of the deployment — around a hundred personnel and dozens of engines — underlined how seriously authorities treated it.
What caught fire, and how crews responded
The flames affected the fourth floor and the roof of a building measuring 1,000 square metres that was under construction beside the station, according to the reporting. Video circulating on social media showed bright flames moving across the roof, and images from the scene showed firefighters using an aerial ladder to attack the fire from above.
Emergency teams also brought in remote-controlled "Colossus" firefighting robots, machines designed to work in hazardous conditions and to let crews tackle flames from a safer distance. Footage shared on X showed the robots being deployed as part of the response.
Police set up a security cordon in the area, and access to Boulevard de l'Hôpital, which runs alongside the station, was blocked. The station's entrance on the Boulevard de l'Hôpital side was closed as a precaution, though the station itself was neither affected nor evacuated, Le Monde reported.
RTL later reported that the fire was in the process of being extinguished.
Mayor points to roof repair work
Jérôme Coumet, mayor of the 13th arrondissement, said the fire involved a historic façade of the train station and appeared to have begun during roof repair work. He added that the flames did not appear to have spread to the neighbouring building.
The cause of the blaze has not been officially established.
The area around Gare d'Austerlitz has been undergoing major modernisation works since 2023, with the redevelopment scheduled to run until 2028, according to Le Monde. The fire is believed to have started in a building under construction beside the station.
The station sits on the left bank of the Seine, and the Austerlitz Viaduct — which carries Paris Métro Line 5 across the river near the station — appeared in the foreground of some footage and images shared from the scene.
What happens next: watch for an official finding on the cause of the fire and for any change in rail services at Gare d'Austerlitz as crews finish their work.
