A major fire broke out on Saturday in an abandoned building in the large northern French port city of Le Havre, police posted on Twitter.
In their statement, officials noted that huge clouds of black smoke were funnelling above the scene and that houses surrounding the area were all being evacuated.
Multiple photos and videos have since emerged online showing the smoke rising skywards.
As per a Tendance Ouest radio Twitter feed, the fire was burning in an old Lipton warehouse.
Le Havre lies in Normandy, in the Seine estuary, where it meets the English Channel, and is one of France's biggest port cities.