Story highlights Theory is someone dropped birthday cake and candles started a fire, media reports

Most victims were between the ages of 18 and 25, report says

Paris (CNN) A fire ravaged a bar in northern France early Saturday, leaving 13 people dead and several others injured, authorities said.

Initial reports indicate the fire in Rouen, Normandy, was accidental, according to the Rouen Police Department.

Following the incident, a major street was blocked and a security perimeter set up around Le Cuba Libre Bar, a witness said. Fire trucks and several police vehicles swarmed around the bar on Avenue Jacques Cartier.

Local media reported the bar was hosting a birthday party at the time, and most of the victims were between the ages of 18 and 25.

On Saturday, deputy prosecutor Laurent Labadie told the Paris Normandie publication that witnesses' statements have investigators working on the theory that someone carrying a birthday cake tripped while walking down steps and the lit candles started the fire.

Read More