A violent explosion has rocked the centre of Paris, destroying part of a building and sending smoke rising over the French capital.

Officials said at least five people were injured in the blast, which blew out windows in an 100m radius and sent debris raining into surrounding streets.

Residents living nearby in the 6th arrondissement were evacuated after the accident, which may have been caused by a gas cooker according to police sources.

France: Emergency crews at scene of Paris explosion that injured 5 people

Kem Phetsomphou said he felt the explosion inside the Tour Montparnasse, formerly France’s tallest skyscraper, which overlooks the district.

Photos of the scene showed firefighters scaling ladders to fight a blaze on the upper floors of a historic apartment block, with wood, debris and shattered glass littering the street.

Emergency services had been called to a fire in a ground floor apartment on Rue de Berite before the blast at around 12.20pm local time (11.20am BST), Le Parisien reported.

"Firefighters were there for an hour-and-a-half trying to extinguish a fire on the ground floor, when a huge explosion shook the whole neighbourhood," a resident told the newspaper.

In pictures: Paris explosion Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Paris explosion In pictures: Paris explosion Firefighters at the scene where an apartment building exploded Getty Images In pictures: Paris explosion A gas explosion occurred in a building in central Paris, causing minor injuries to five people, according to police sources Getty Images In pictures: Paris explosion A destroyed building is pictured in Paris' 6th district Getty Images In pictures: Paris explosion A view of the partially collapsed top floors of a residential building after it was rocked by an explosion in Paris EPA In pictures: Paris explosion Firefighters intervene on rue de l'Abbe-Gregoire in Paris' 6th district near the scene where an appartment building exploded Getty Images In pictures: Paris explosion Firefighters intervene in Paris' 6th district Getty Images In pictures: Paris explosion A firefighter holds on to a fire hose as firefighters intervene in Paris' 6th district near the scene where an appartment building exploded Getty Images In pictures: Paris explosion A view of the partially collapsed top floors of a residential building after it was rocked by an explosion in Paris EPA In pictures: Paris explosion Rescuers and firefighters are pictured from the Montparnasse tower as they intervene on rue de Rennes in Paris' 6th district after an appartment building exploded in nearby rue de Berite Getty Images In pictures: Paris explosion Flames erupt from an appartment building following an explosion that occured in rue de Berite Getty Images

"It's terrible, I saw several firefighters taken away on stretchers."

Police sources told local media five people sustained injuries in the blast, which damaged several floors and part of a roof near the famous Ferrandi cookery school.

The institution was temporarily evacuated as a precaution.

Paris remains on high alert following last week's terror attacks in neighbouring Belgium and a separate plot uncovered to attack the French capital.

The explosion initially sparked fears of another bombing in the city, where 130 people were massacred in November.

"Paris is burning," one Twitter user wrote after photographing smoke from the fire. An employee at the Ferrandi school told local media: "People were scared, they thought it was a bomb."