On Saturday night, a fire broke out in Metz city centre, mobilising more than a hundred firefighters who were tackling the flames for two nights.

The fire broke out at 3.50am on Sunday morning, and according to Le Républicain Lorrain, the fire started in the basement of a building in Rue Ambroise-Thomas. The bookshop and homes were 'not directly affected’, Metz authorities assured.

"Around twenty people were evacuated from their homes by the Moselle fire brigade and municipal police," Metz authorities shared. "Four people with minor injuries were taken to the hospital. Their condition did not cause concern in the morning," adds the Républicain Lorrain.

The response to the fire grew during the following day, with more than 120 firefighters being dispatched to the scene by the end of the afternoon, as well as 45 fire brigades, parked next door in the Place d'Armes.

On X (formerly Twitter), the mayor of Metz, François Grosdider, explained that ‘the burning smoke set the roof on fire. The core of the building remains safe at this time. But it's like an oven that continues to heat up and seems unreachable through the underground maze of old Metz'.

By 10pm on Sunday, the fire was still not under control. Authorities confirmed that 50 firefighters and 15 engines had been mobilised to bring the flames down through the night. Their mission was to ‘neutralise the fire in the cellars’ and control the "residual hot spots ’ on the roofs.

Several streets in the city centre will remain closed on Monday, local authorities declared.