Paris train station: Huge fire erupts at Gare de Lyon as area evacuated
Official says blaze began after electric scooter set on fire
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Your support makes all the difference.Paris’ historic Gare de Lyon railway station has been evacuated as firefighters attempt to tackle a huge blaze in the city's centre, French police have confirmed.
Video footage shows a row of electric scooters ablaze next to the transit hub and thick smoke billowing into the sky of southeastern Paris.
Officers said the blaze was under control by nightfall - however flames could still be seen rising from the street alongside the station, which sits on the banks of the river Seine
A police official, who was not authorised to be named publicly, said the blaze began after someone set fire to a scooter during an unauthorised concert near the train station, with the flames quickly spreading to other vehicles nearby.
Local media reported the blaze may be linked to protests against congolese rapper Fally Ipupa, who was set to perform at the nearby AccorHotels Arena in the Bercy area.
The performer has been the subject of criticism from opponents of the Democratic Republic of Congo's government, who accuse the musician of being close to former authoritarian leader Joseph Kabila and his successor Felix Tshisekedi.
French authorities had banned protests outside the event, Le Parisien reported, adding that roughly 100 people had still attended the scene to voice opposition.
It comes almost year after the fire at Notre Dame ripped apart the historic structure in the heart of the city.
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