Fire breaks out at posh Place Vendome garage in Paris

Charles Platiau / Reuters

Smoke fills the sky near the Column Vendome, with a Napoleon statue on top, as a fire burns in an underground car park at the Place Vendome in Paris on Thursday.

The Place Vendome parking garage in the center of Paris was ablaze earlier Thursday, sending a large plume of black smoke over the city’s skyline.

The fire reportedly broke out in a car parked on the second floor of the garage, according to gtspirit.com. There were no reports of injuries, although one of 90 firemen at the scene was said to have suffered smoke inhalation, The Australian reported.


Place Vendome, in the city's First Arrondissement, is known for its upscale shopping and the posh Ritz hotel. Employees in the immediate area of the fire were reportedly evacuated.

The garage is also known for housing many expensive vehicles, and gtspirit.com speculated the blaze could end up causing damage in excess of $6.6 million. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the car that started the blaze was a Ferrari.

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It's Bush's fault

  • 10 votes
#1 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 2:49 PM EST

You took the words right out of my mouth!

  • 2 votes
#1.1 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 2:55 PM EST

No this one is definately on Ron Paul.

  • 8 votes
#1.2 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 2:56 PM EST

Now now, im pretty sure somones gonna say this is a left wing agenda LAWLS!

  • 4 votes
#1.3 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:04 PM EST

Hmmm... I wonder why the automatic fire sprinklers did not work... Oh! Maybe they were not installed.

  • 5 votes
#1.4 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:08 PM EST

Was the garage filled with Chevy Volts?

  • 6 votes
#1.5 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:01 PM EST

Funny Sam, but even the french won't buy that 'as some gm dealer' said yesterday 'jetson car'.

  • 1 vote
#1.6 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:10 PM EST

A car that runs on electricity has to be safer than sitting on 20 gallons of gasoline.

  • 3 votes
#1.7 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:27 PM EST

HAHAHAHAHHA good one

    #1.8 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 5:20 PM EST

    Great photo! On the upper right side, there is a figure, which appears to be Jesus come back to earth in clouds of glory. I really don't think it is Jesus, he wouldn't be in france. But it took me an hour of thinking to be sure.

      #1.9 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 5:33 PM EST

      Let blame everything to Bush.

      • 1 vote
      #1.10 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 5:44 PM EST

      Im just here for the comments XD

      • 2 votes
      #1.11 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 6:08 PM EST

      Can't you read Sam? It was a Ferrari Volt. ;)

        #1.12 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 6:50 PM EST
        FibreconDeleted

        nicetolacoeouce:

        I am tired of all you beautiful rich doctors trying to hit on me! Can't you understand? Men like me demand women who are homely and fat. Please, don't try so hard, you can never measure up. No wonder you are here begging for dates. Quit your job and eat more ice cream, then maybe you will have a chance.

          #1.15 - Fri Mar 9, 2012 10:27 AM EST

          Soon after the fire started, Jeremy Clarkson could be heard screaming "THATS NOT GONE WELL!!"

          • 1 vote
          #1.16 - Fri Mar 9, 2012 10:39 AM EST
          Reply

          Oh well.

          • 3 votes
          Reply#2 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 2:50 PM EST

          Too deep.

          • 3 votes
          #2.1 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:24 PM EST
          Reply

          Even the garages are "Posh" in France. Wow.

          • 3 votes
          Reply#3 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 2:53 PM EST

          As the Montecieto fires near Santa Barbara proved, smug is HIGHLY flammable.

          • 11 votes
          #3.1 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:02 PM EST

          But my first thought was, "Some 'poor' pretender sneaked in there - that is, his car." (Maybe he wanted it to dissappear; or get an insurance claim on it?!)

          • 2 votes
          #3.2 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:21 PM EST

          As the Montecieto fires near Santa Barbara proved, smug is HIGHLY flammable.

          Well played, sir.

          • 1 vote
          #3.3 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:26 PM EST

          Even the garages are "Posh" in France. Wow.

          Yes, hence the snooty word "garage" for what people around here call a carhole.

          • 1 vote
          #3.4 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 6:55 PM EST
          Reply

          Those poor cars!

          • 5 votes
          Reply#4 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 2:56 PM EST

          Carbecue! Brake out the steaks!

          • 10 votes
          Reply#5 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 2:56 PM EST

          Steak out the brakes. [Do you live in a studio, Steve? Is it posh?]

          • 2 votes
          #5.1 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:14 PM EST

          Roll out the refreshments, rev up the revelry, park it for awhile. It's going to be a pun-filled party at studio steve's posh parking garage.

          • 7 votes
          #5.2 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:24 PM EST
          Reply

          The french are burning their cars to spite the enviroment

          • 1 vote
          Reply#6 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:08 PM EST

          I wouldn't call the joke, "TopofTHEline", but, "ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, hee, ho, ha, ha, ha..."

          • 5 votes
          #6.1 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:17 PM EST
          Reply

          OWS

          • 1 vote
          Reply#7 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:09 PM EST

          your right, dammit George stop it

          • 2 votes
          Reply#8 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:10 PM EST

          Rush Limburger expressing his disdain for the advertisers who left him.

          • 3 votes
          Reply#9 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:10 PM EST

          ..

            Reply#10 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:11 PM EST

            good ol insurance frauds

            many expensive cars in the garage

            not any more

            • 2 votes
            Reply#11 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:13 PM EST

            Don't care!, Couldn't care less!

            • 1 vote
            Reply#12 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:16 PM EST

            How many were Yugo's

            • 1 vote
            Reply#13 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:17 PM EST

            They'll blame Sarkozy.

            • 1 vote
            Reply#14 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:19 PM EST

            How many were Yugo's

            • 1 vote
            Reply#15 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:19 PM EST

            What's Peters' background? It would be interesting to hear about him.

              Reply#16 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:23 PM EST

              Thank God no one was hurt, 6 million dollars worth of damage? well we imagined it was alot, but it's just money....nothing their government can't handle. i mean, why is money the issue here? how about, what was the cause? how about, what area's are impacted, etc....

              • 1 vote
              Reply#17 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:25 PM EST

              good thing we have plain old concrete parking garages here in the good ole USA, and they have sprinklers, i hate to see good concrete burn. Its the Principal from N Miami High School celebrating the order not to deport an illegal from USA

              • 1 vote
              Reply#18 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:29 PM EST

              I hope they saved the man standing on the building. I'm always looking for ways to feel bad for the filthy rich. What a shame, how will I sleep tonight?

              • 3 votes
              Reply#19 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:45 PM EST

              Should have parked that Chevrolet Volt somewhere else.

              • 1 vote
              Reply#20 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 3:53 PM EST

              More 1%'s getting theirs.

              • 1 vote
              Reply#21 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:01 PM EST

              The awful life of wealthy Parisians? who cares? Napoleon standing above the smoke is the only point worthy of speculative comments.

              Can we get real and only newsworthy news please?

              • 2 votes
              Reply#22 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:01 PM EST

              Why do terrorist bombs always fizzle in France?

              Oh, well back to Google-ing

              • 1 vote
              Reply#23 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:05 PM EST

              See that? The French are so full of @!$%# they explode now.

              • 2 votes
              Reply#24 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:26 PM EST

              Sounds like an "Italian Job" if you ask me =)

              • 4 votes
              Reply#25 - Thu Mar 8, 2012 4:27 PM EST
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