Seven people have died in a fire in the southern French city of Nice, Report informs referring to The Standard.
Firefighters rushed to the blaze in a residential block in the Les Moulins neighbourhood after being alerted at roughly 2.30am on July 18 (1.30am BST).
Rescuers said they were confronted by a "violent apartment fire" on the seventh floor. Dozens of people were evacuated from the building.
Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli said investigators were looking into a “criminal” cause for the fire.
“In light of the initial evidence, I have opened an investigation into acts of arson leading to death,” he told journalists at the scene.
Three children and a teenager were among the victims, he added.
Local reports said the seven victims were all part of the same family and the children who died were aged five, seven and 10. Two people are said to have tried to escape through a window - one died and the other is in a critical condition.