PARIS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of a pre-dawn fire in an apartment building in Paris rose to eight on Tuesday morning, said Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz who called it a "criminal" act.
The fire that also injured 36 others broke out in an eight-storey building in Paris' swanky 16th district, which is home to foreign embassies and renowned museums. It has been brought under control by firefighters early in the morning.
Heitz told reporters that judicial police had opened an investigation for "voluntary destruction by fire leading to death," saying investigators were favoring a "criminal" cause for the blaze.
A woman living in the building has been detained and is remained in police custody.
"My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragic fire that has plunged the capital. Tribute to firefighters who fought all night against the flames," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner tweeted.
"Everything is done to identify the cause of this tragedy," he added.
