14 die after new suspected arson in fire-struck Paris

A FIRE started by a suspected arson attack ripped through a high-rise apartment building south of Paris early yesterday killing at least 14 people, three of them children.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze the fourth fire in or near the capital since April and most victims died as a result of inhaling toxic smoke while trying to flee, officials said.

Some 15 others were injured in the blaze in the town of L'Hay-les-Roses in the Val-de-Marne region south of Paris.

Witnesses described the screams of panicked residents and said people leapt from windows as the blaze flared through the entrance hall of the building.

France has been grappling with how to deal with and prevent building fires, which have taken a heavy toll in the capital in recent months.

The government has announced a series of measures, including the planned construction of new housing and the eviction of squatters from buildings considered fire hazards in the wake of three other blazes in Paris since April that killed 48 people mostly African immigrants.

Yesterday's fire did not appear to be linked to two blazes in Paris last month, said Jean-Luc Marx, a local government spokesman.

Prime Minister

Dominique de Villepin said in a statement that an investigation was under way into the fire "that could be of criminal origin."

One pregnant woman who was rescued gave birth at the scene. She was taken to hospital with her newborn.

Thousands of people marched on Saturday in Paris to demand better housing for the poor and condemn the eviction plans.