A MAJOR fire is ripping through a building in Paris, sending thick black smoke soaring over the city and into the suburbs.

The blaze appears to have broken out at the Syctom waste sorting centre in the 17th arrondissement on Monday afternoon.

According to Syctom’s website, it is Europe’s leading public operator in domestic waste management, processing 2.3 million tonnes of municipal waste from six million residents across Île-de-France.

The Paris XVII centre, which caught fire, opened in June 2019 and is described as a “high capacity and automated” site, recycling waste from over 900,000 residents.

The Paris Fire Department dispatched around 200 firefighters and 60 engines, deploying two aerial platforms to try and contain the flames, which reportedly started in the basement and are still not under control.

The fire is said to be spreading north, with firefighters racing to stop it from reaching surrounding areas.

One driver managed to capture dramatic footage showing the building ablaze as flames engulfed the entire structure.

Several hundred people also gathered along the boulevard to watch, Le Parisien reports.

The Paris Fire Department has urged the public to avoid the area and warned local residents to “be careful” as emergency services work to tackle the inferno.

No official information has yet been released on the cause or extent of the damage.

So far, there are no reported injuries, according to the 17th arrondissement town hall, but the situation remains tense.

Onlookers across the city have been posting dramatic images of the smoke cloud rising into the sky, mistaking it at first for storm clouds.

From the southern edge of the Champ-de-Mars, visitor Malika from Toulouse told Le Parisien: “What’s this crazy? That’s not a normal cloud!”

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