Around 100 firefighters remain on the scene, at rue Myrha in the 18th arrondissement, French media report.
The fire began overnight in a five-story residential building in the Goutte d’Or neighbourhood in the north of the city. The fire started on the ground floor before spreading into the stairwell.
Local residents posted images of the fire, showing flames bursting from the roof and upper storeys of the building.
French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, were reported to be at the scene as firefighters continued to battle the flames.
Cazeneuve told reporters it was too early to determine the cause of the fire and an investigation was underway.
“Paris is bereaved this morning,” Hidalgo said, adding that as many as 15 properties might have been damaged in the blaze.
She said the building had been in a good condition before the fire. People who were unable to return to their homes were being assisted by the authorities, she said.
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