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Search continues at site of Paris fashion school hit by explosion

Emergency rescue workers on Thursday continued to search through the rubble of a building in central Paris that was destroyed by what is believed to be a gas explosion. One person remains unaccounted for.

Published: 21 June 2023 17:32 CEST
Updated: 22 June 2023 17:11 CEST

Search continues at site of Paris fashion school hit by explosion

Flames emerging from the destruction and rubble in the immediate aftermath of an explosion in a building on Rue Saint-Jacques, Paris. Photo by Gregory Custo / AFP

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the search continued to find a person reported as missing after an explosion rocked the building that housed the Paris American Academy fashion in central Paris on Wednesday.

The explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak ripped through the historic building in central Paris on Wednesday, causing a wave of destruction in the historic Latin Quarter of the city, officials said.

The blast happened at around 5pm on Rue Saint-Jacques in the central fifth arrondissement of the French capital. It caused a huge fire, while plumes of thick smoke could be seen rising above the Paris skyline.

Giving the latest update on injuries Hidalgo said four people remain critically injured and 35 had lighter injuries. Earlier on Thursday the injury toll was reported as six seriously injured and over 50 with lighter injuries.

Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Grégoire initially said that the search had been called off after two missing people were accounted for, but firefighters on Thursday said that the search continued with one person still missing.

“Among the two people who were being sought in the rubble, it turned out that one had already been admitted to hospital,” the prosecutor’s office said, according to AFP.

“The search continues for the second,” it added, cautioning: “These figures could still change.”

Smoke billows from a building at Place Alphonse-Laveran in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, on June 21, 2023. (Photo by ABDULMONAM EASSA / AFP)

The explosion caused the building that houses the Paris American Academy, a private design and fashion school which is popular with exchange students from the USA, to collapse.

According to the mother of one of the students, writing on the school’s Facebook account, the classrooms were empty at the time because students were attending a Paris Fashion Week show.

“The toll could have been higher,” Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire told FranceInfo radio.

Some 70 fire engines and 270 firefighters battled to contain the fire caused by the explosion.

On Thursday, the security cordon was reduced, allowing journalists and gawkers closer to the heap of rubble in front of the structure, just opposite the Val-de-Grace military hospital.

A single fire hose was still sporadically spraying the remains of the building, while some nearby shops had reopened.

“There was no warning before this explosion. We don’t know its origin at this stage,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told a press briefing at the scene on Wednesday night. Initial reports, however, said a gas leak was the likely cause of the explosion.

Several also witnesses reported a strong smell of gas at the site after the explosion.

On Wednesday, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez had said: “An explosion occurred inside a building that houses the Paris American Academy at 4.55pm that caused a huge fire. Paris firefighters were on the scene quickly with several surrounding buildings evacuated and a huge police cordon set up around the site.

“Two nearby buildings were seriously damaged by the explosion and were evacuated.”

The shockwave knocked out windows up to 400 metres away.

Images posted on social media showed fire and plumes of black smoke rising from a destroyed building on the street. Piles of rubble could be strewn across the road in front of the destroyed building.

Une énorme #explosion à #Paris ! Tout un quartier ravagé. Vidéo envoyé par une amie. pic.twitter.com/7nA9T6qCwL

— Mat (@Namat_12) June 21, 2023

Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau, who visited the scene, said: “An initial study of CCTV cameras belonging to the City of Paris points to an explosion originating in the building (which houses the Paris American Academy).”

One student named Quentin told Le Parisien newspaper: “I heard an enormous boom and then I saw a fireball rise 20 to 30 metres into the sky and then the building collapsed. I could smell gas but it took me a while to get myself together.”

The Police préfecture was quick to discount terrorism and say the suspected cause was a gas explosion.

This general view shows smoke rising from a building at Place Alphonse-Laveran near the dome of the Church of the Val-de-Grâce (L) in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, on June 21, 2023. (Photo by Ian LANGSDON / AFP)

Smoke billows from rubble of a building at Place Alphonse-Laveran in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, on June 21, 2023. (Photo by ABDULMONAM EASSA / AFP)

Another witness told Le Parisien: “We thought it was a terror attack. We heard a huge explosion, that lasted a long time, that shook our bodies. It was like something out of a film.”

Explosion dans ma rue, #rueSaintJacques apparement le bâtiment à côté de l’église du #ValDeGrace pic.twitter.com/KiHIzoIUpp

— Basile B (@Bbeaugendre) June 21, 2023

Grosse déflagration rue Saint-Jacques suite à une explosion place Alphonse Laveran (face au Val de Grâce)#paris #valdegrace #incendie #explosion pic.twitter.com/BSgO6axOqm

— Etienne (@eneveu) June 21, 2023

As of Thursday morning, at least 100 people were unable to reach their homes in the nearby area, according to an estimate by the 5th arrondissement town hall.

Around 60 people were rehoused by local authorities on Wednesday evening, according to BFMTV.

The Paris American Academy (PAA) is popular with exchange students from the USA.

Kent State University in Ohio said that nine of its students were attending a summer programme at the PAA and all are safe.

Kent spokesman Eric Mansfield added that plans are being made for the students to return early to the US.

The image below from Google Street view shows the school at 277 Rue Saint Jacques.

The Paris American Academy fashion school seen on Google Street view.

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Apps, reservations and flying taxis: What to know before visiting Paris this summer

France’s capital is expected to welcome 15 million people between late July and early September – considerably more than the 6.2 to 6.4 million visitors who came between July and August in 2023 or the roughly 10 million summer visitors Paris saw in pre-pandemic days.

On top of a larger than normal amount of visitors, there are some other changes that visitors to Paris should anticipate this summer, as well as tools to help make life easier.

Access to monuments and tourist sites

Planning for wait times – This new French website – Affluences – shares in real time the wait times for more than 700 tourist and cultural sites in the Paris region, including the Louvre, Versailles and the Eiffel Tower. It also provides a forecast for the expected wait times throughout the day, as well as the operating hours of the site.

The platform, which partnered with the Paris tourism office, is available online and in app form. You can also see whether or not the site requires a reservation in advance, and it will offer links to take you to their official website.

The company Affluences has been equipping Paris’ major tourist sites with accurate accounts of crowds, to help them manage large flows of people for 10 years, but now their tool is available for the public online.

According to Le Parisien, the tourism company Atout France estimates that it has a 99 percent reliability rating.

Modified hours and disruption – Several popular tourist sites may have altered hours during the Games, and particularly during the Opening Ceremony (July 26th). It would be best to reserve any cultural activities in advance if possible.

As for the Eiffel Tower, despite being next to a venue, it will remain open during the Olympics period apart from the day of the Opening Ceremony (July 26th). However between July 18th and July 25th the Tower is in a security zone so you will require a QR code to enter – more info here. From July 27th onwards no QR code will be required for visitors – the Tower will be in a red zone, which has restrictions on vehicles, but which pedestrians can enter freely.

During the Olympic Games, the Louvre will remain open to visitors, except for July 25th and 26th. However, all visitors from July 1st to September 8th must book a ticket ahead of time. As for the Tuileries Garden, it will be closed on August 28th and throughout the Games it will be in a security zone, meaning vehicular traffic will be severely limited – although pedestrians can still access it.

You can find more info about Olympics related disruption/changes for the Louvre HERE.

When it comes to Versailles, the château, as well as the gardens, will remain open to the public throughout the Games, with normal visiting hours.

Special taxis

During the summer of 2024, the city of Paris will debut the ‘Taxi Seine Paris’, a new boat shuttle service launched on June 13th.

It can carry up to six passengers at a time and will cost €145 per trip, or divided by six, a little under €25 a person.

As of mid-June, there were only 10 Seine taxis, but there will likely be more to come. The taxis will allow passengers to go from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre within 15 to 20 minutes.

The service can be booked online up to 24 hours in advance, and it will service two stops (the Louvre and Port de la Bourdonnais, just in front of the Eiffel Tower).

As for the flying taxis, there will be some test flights during the Olympic Games. However, they will not be available to the general public initially.

“If we see that they’re not effective and that they make too much noise, then we’ll draw conclusions,” France’s transport minister told AFP.

The vehicle – known as an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) – is more of a small helicopter or even a large drone. It is four times quieter than a typical helicopter, according to Volocopter, and powered by an electric battery. The idea is that the devices will eventually operate like a shuttle service linking the city and its airports.

As for the regular taxis, these will of course be available, but you should read our tips to ensure you take an official taxi and avoid being overcharged. For people with disabilities, transport authorities have promised a fleet of at least 1,000 accessible taxis during the Olympic period.

QR codes and Olympics disruption

From Metro stops to areas around Games’ venues – several parts of the city will either be closed off or placed within a security zone during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In order to help people in Paris plan for disruption during the Games, the French government has created a website – called ‘Anticiper les jeux’.

It is filled with information – from setting up alerts for possible disruption to checking which Metro stations will be closed and planning your routes while travelling during the Games.

The most useful section is undoubtedly the interactive map which allows you to search for any disruption by area or by a specific Metro line or road. It will also show you whether the address you are looking to visit is within a security zone, in which case you may find yourself needing a QR code.

Increased pricing for transport

Those visiting during the Games will also pay a higher price for public transport.

Between July 20th and September 8th, the price of a single ticket – which can be used on the Metro, buses, RER trains or trams – will go up to €4, in contrast to the €2.15 it costs currently, and purchasing a 10 tickets at once (a carnet) will increase from €17.35 to €32 during the Games.

This does not affect residents with a travel pass or monthly card, or people who buy tickets in advance.

What’s on besides the Olympics?

Paris Plages

Each year, the city creates a seaside resort away from the ocean, with swimming areas, games and plenty of family-friendly activities. In 2024, the Paris Plages will be open from July 6 to September 8th, with some minor changes from previous years, namely the Canal Saint-Martin being the primary relaxation area.

The swimming area at La Villette basin, as well as the usual deckchairs and relaxation areas along the banks of the Seine, will open starting on July 27th, after the Opening Ceremony has concluded. The full programme will be available in the coming weeks on the Paris town hall website.

Exhibits

There are plenty to choose from, but we’ve picked three.

If you are in Paris at the start of the summer, you can visit the ‘Paris 1874, Inventer l’impressionnisme’ exhibit at the Musée d’Orsay, which celebrates 150 years of impressionism. It will remain open until July 14th. More info here.

There is also the ‘Paris!’ free exhibit at the Hôtel de Ville, which gives an overview of the city spanning its culture, major events, tragedies and everything else that makes up its identity. It will be available all summer long, though you should reserve ahead of time.

You might also consider another free exhibit – the ‘Stage Jewels of the Comédie Française’. This exhibit is hosted at the Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, located in the 9th arrondissement. You can admire all of the stage jewellery used by France’s best actors and actresses from the 18th century onwards. It will be open all summer, with normal operating hours.

Concerts

There are plenty of summer festivals and concerts across the country, but mark your calendar for the Rock en Seine festival from August 21-25, with artists like Lana Del Rey, LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey and more.

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