Suspect arrested in deadly Paris arson was drunk

Firefighters and policemen stand on the scene of a fire in Paris on Feb. 5, 2019.  AP

PARIS  —  A judicial official says that a suspect detained near a deadly Paris fire was drunk when she was arrested.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday as an investigation into voluntary arson resulting in death is ongoing.

He said the 40-year-old female resident of the burned-out residence in rue Erlanger, in western Paris, was found to be drunk when apprehended on the street before dawn.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters at the scene of the blaze that authorities suspect the blaze was criminal in nature and that the detained female resident had “a history of psychiatric problems.”

Paris’ deadliest fire in over a decade claimed 10 lives, sending fleeing residents to the roof to escape the flames that engulfed their apartment building before dawn.

The French prosecutor’s office says the death toll in a suspected arson attack on a Paris residential building has risen to 10.

The fire, which broke out on the second floor of the eight-story building as people slept Tuesday morning, quickly rose and engulfed the building.

Firefighter spokesman Captain Valerian Fuet says more than 30 people, including eight firefighters, are among the injured.

If the suspicions are confirmed, it will be Paris’ worst arson attack in years. /ee

READ: Apartment fire in high-end Paris area kills 7, injures many