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Cause of Paris death blaze probed
 Rescuers rush an injured victim of the blaze to hospital. RELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSPARIS, France (CNN) -- Investigators are searching for the cause of a massive blaze that swept through a seven-story Paris apartment building housing many west African immigrants, killing at least 17 people and injuring 30 others. At least six of the dead were children. Many of the victims were asphyxiated in their sleep, firefighters and residents said. The fire broke out about 12:30 a.m. local time Friday (2200 GMT Thursday) in the building's main stairway, preventing many from escaping. It spread rapidly through the 100-year-old building. There may have been as many as 130 residents inside at the time -- including up to 100 children. (See the video of residents who escaped on towering ladders.) Hundreds of firefighters rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control, sealing off the area around it and evacuating nearby buildings. Those nearby said the scene was nightmarish -- the screams of children could be heard, and at least one person jumped from a window, witnesses said. The building, located in the 13th District in southern Paris, reportedly was in questionable condition -- a charge denied by the charity that runs the apartments. In April, 24 people died in a fire at a central Paris hotel and more than 50, including an American and two Canadians, were wounded. Ten of the dead in that fire were children, authorities said. The six-floor Paris-Opera hotel was gutted in the blaze. After that blaze, French officials vowed they would step up inspection of buildings to prevent such a tragedy occurring in the future. The French Interiror Ministry said Friday, after visiting the scene, that officials would inspect every similar apartment building to ensure they are not firetraps. "We just saw the bodies of children who were asphyxiated. It's an abominable spectacle," said Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. CNN's Jim Bittermann in Paris said that Sarkozy looked visibly distressed. Many of the victims were from the west African nation of Mali, The Associated Press reported. Others were from Senegal, Ghana and Tunisia, according to building residents. "This dreadful disaster plunges all of France into mourning," President Jacques Chirac said in a statement. One resident described being awakened by cries from children and adults, then rushing to his window on the building's second floor. People "jumped out the windows, they didn't care about dying," Oumar Cisse said. "I heard children cry, families scream. Some children were yelling for their mothers and fathers." Resident Sory Cassama, who lived in the building with his wife and 12 children, said he was asleep when a daughter knocked on the door. Their living room had filled with smoke. "There was so much smoke in the stairwell, but we were still able to get out," Cassama told AP. He said his wife was treated for smoke inhalation. Smoke could still be seen billowing out of windows of the apartment block hours after the blaze was brought under control. Police cordoned off the area, near the river Seine and the Jardin des Plantes botanical garden. Those who lived in the building were housed by a group affiliated with France's Emmaus association for the French state, said Serge Blisko, the district's mayor. Emmaus works to improve the lives of the impoverished. The building was "in a mediocre state," he told France-Info radio. Cisse, a 71-year-old from Mali, said the building was infested by rats and mice and that there were cracks in the walls and lead in the paint. "It was totally unhealthy," he told AP. In the April fire, 24 people were killed in the fire at a hotel situated near the Galeries Lafayette luxury department in Paris capital -- many of them children. Most were African immigrants and other people without means who were lodged there by authorities. At the time, officials said a night watchman's girlfriend may have accidentally caused that fire by placing candles on the floor to set the scene for a romantic tryst but then leaving in a rage because he was drunk, AP reported. Anti-racism and pro-immigration groups have said the April tragedy highlighted the precarious living conditions of many immigrants in France. Thousands of immigrants and families from poor backgrounds live in run-down hotels or shabby buildings in Paris because of pressures on housing. According to city authorities, more than 100,000 families from modest or poor backgrounds were looking for social housing in the capital last year, up from some 85,000 10 years ago, but only around 12,000 homes were allocated. Martine Aubry from the opposition Socialists said on Friday the authorities should acquire more space for social housing. "These insalubrious, indecent housing facilities once again prove that we are facing an unprecedented housing crisis in our country," she told France-Info radio. CNN Correspondent Jim Bittermann contributed to this report Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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