Reuters reported that the fire broke out along the Boulevard des Capucines, near Place de L'Opera in central Paris, France and the iconic Opera Palais Garnier Theater. Video and images shared on Twitter showed suspicious smoke covering the French capital.
There were no reports of casualties or injuries as of the evening of November 20.
Firefighters are intervening, please avoid this area, the police said in a statement on Twitter.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Palais Garnier is an Opera House with 1,979 seats, built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera.
Palais Garnier is perhaps the most famous Opera House in the world, a symbol of Paris such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre Museum, or Sacre Coeur Cathedral.
Part of the popularity of this work comes from Gaston Leroux's famous novel "Ghost in the Theater" in 1910 and especially in later adaptations such as in famous films and musicals in 1986.
With a total cost of 33 million francs, this is the most expensive building built under the Second Dynasty.
More than two years ago, on April 15, 2019, a fire broke out on the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, causing significant damage to the building. The church and its roof collapsed, and significant damage was caused to the interior and walls of the church. However, the dome ceiling under the roof prevented most of the fire from falling into the interior of the church below.
About 400-500 firefighters participated in extinguishing the fire. Emergency responders tried to save the artistic and religious artifacts kept in the large Cathedral. No deaths were reported, according to Paris police. At least one firefighter was seriously injured while trying to extinguish the fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to rebuild the church, funded at least partly by a national fundraising campaign.
