News: Major fire breaks out at the Élysée Palace in Paris

Impressive video filmed from a cell phone.

This morning at 7:45 a.m. local time, a major fire broke out on the second floor of the concert hall of the famous Théâtre du 18^e arrondissement of Paris. More than 16 emergency response centers, including 26 vehicles and 103 firefighters, responded and, after three long hours of work, managed to bring the blaze under control. No injuries were reported.

While the facade and the concert hall remained almost intact, the first floor and the roof, on the other hand, partially collapsed.

Standing right in front of the Élysée Palace, cell phones in hand, an impressive number of onlookers took the first photos to share on social media. The incident appears to have been accidental, but we will know more when the investigation, entrusted to the 2nd judicial police district (DPJ), is completed.

The legendary cabaret of the French Cancan, opened in 1807, the Élysée has welcomed the greatest artists to its stage and even boxing and wrestling matches. Its steel structure was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Some of Toulouse-Lautrec's most famous canvases were painted here. Since 1995, the venue has also hosted one of the great Parisian soirées, the «bal de l'Elysée-Montmartre», every fortnight.

Let us hope that one of the most famous concert halls in Paris can rise from its ashes.