The five lived in the same flat on the fifth floor of the six-storey building in a disadvantaged area of Gennevilliers, northwest of Paris, they said, adding that the cause of the fire remained unknown.

Some 100 firefighters fought the blaze that began in a fourth-floor flat, rescue workers told AFP. Fifteen of the 18 people who were injured were taken to hospital. Two of them were firefighters who suffered hand burns.

The mayor of Gennevilliers visited the scene and Interior Minister Manuel Valls was due to visit later, his ministry said.