Paris hotel fire kills 13, injures 57

A fire roared through a central Paris hotel early today, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens more, fire officials said. A witness said he saw several hotel guests leap from windows to escape the flames.

The fire occurred in the one-star Paris Opera hotel in the capital’s 9th district, an area frequented by tourists. At least 57 people were injured, 12 seriously, said fire services spokesman Laurent Vibert. Many of the guests were African, he said.