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The block of flats – in central Paris – was completely alight at one stage, as emergency services struggled to control the blaze which started at around 9.30pm local time (8.30pm BST).

A witness shared a picture of the blaze, writing alongside it: “Violent fire in the 19th in Paris in a residential building. Explosion heard instantly. Firefighters on site.”

The apartments are on the Boulevard MacDonald, in the 19th arrondissement, which is around 700m from Rosa Parks rail station.

One witness has said they heard an explosion before flames leapt up to the second floor of the building.

The flames quickly tore through four floors of the building, starting on the third and making their way to the sixth.

(Image: TWITTER) (Image: TWITTER)

(Image: GETTY)

Shocking footage posted on social media shows firefighters using large ladders in a bid to rescue stricken residents.

At least one video shows the large explosion ripping through the apartment building.

More than 50 firefighters rushed to battle the inferno, around 2.5 miles northeast of Paris city centre.

The building is also less than a two-minute drive from the Gare Du Nord station, where Eurostar services from London terminate.

Rescue teams are still searching for potential victims.

The building is known to have two lift shafts, which typically can allow flames to spread.

French firefighters spokesman Gabriel Plus said it is still too early to know what caused the blaze.

He said there was "no gas supply into the building," but added that "bottles of gas or a barbecue may have caught fire on a balcony, causing the explosion."

It's thought 27 flats were damaged in total.

(Image: GETTY) (Image: GETTY) (Image: GOOGLE MAPS)

He said there are no known victims despite the ferociousness and size of the blaze.

A police spokesman added: "A number of people had been evacuated before our arrival and the reconnaissance we are conducting now suggest that no one is hurt of victim of the fire."

It comes just months after Paris' deadliest fire in a decade.

In January, 10 people were killed when flames ripped through an apartment building in the west of the city after a suspected arson attack.