Explosion at Orange Site in Paris Injures Workers, Affects 80,000 Users

An explosion occurred at one of Orange’s technical sites in Paris on Thursday, injuring three workers, two critically, and disrupting communication services for 80,000 users, the district mayor said.

The incident took place around 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) [on Oct. 9] in the basement of a building on Avenue de Saxe in the French capital, where an explosion followed by a fire injured three workers from the telecom operator, 7th district mayor Rachida Dati said.

Two of the injured were in critical condition and one is in less serious condition, she said in a statement.

The fire was contained by the fire brigade, and Orange teams were working to restore phone and internet services for around 80,000 users affected by the incident, Dati said.

(Reporting by Alban Kacher; editing by Susan Fenton and Toby Chopra and Ros Russell)

Photograph: The logo of Orange S.A., formerly France Télécom S.A., a French multinational telecommunications corporation is pictured on the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)