A fire at the Paris headquarters of French state radio has left huge columns of thick black smoke rising above the city.

Photos of the scene show smoke pouring from the upper floors of the massive Maison de la Radio in the capital's 16th arrondissement. It was undergoing renovations when the fire began.

The building was safely evacuated at around 1pm local time today, according to Radio France journalist Corinne Audoin, interviewed on television i-tele.

The building, nicknamed The Round House given its circular design, was built in 1963 and houses studios for some of France's most popular radio stations. Renovations have been ongoing for years, notably to modernise its fire protection systems.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.