Fire in Paris at one of Europe’s biggest science museums

A major fire broke at the Cite des Sciences in Paris, one of the biggest science museums of Europe.

The fire broke out before dawn in a building that was undergoing work, spokesman Gabriel Plus told AFP.

Emergency services, who were alerted at 2.30am, rushed 120 firefighters and 30 fire engines to the scene.

The cause remained unclear as of Thursday morning. But by midmorning, more than 100 firefighters had brought the blaze under control, Plus said. Two firefighters faced intense heat and required treatment.

The museum, built on the site of Paris’s former slaughterhouses, attracts over three million visitors a year and disappointed families were turned away on Thursday because of the disaster. Around 10,000sq m at the Parc de Villette site has been affected by fire.

The museum comprises four huge cube-shaped buildings.

Adjacent exhibit halls and the museum’s IMax movie theater have not caught fire but there remains a risk that it could spread, he warned.