The Associated Press
 AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani Firefighters work at the scene of the blast. |
LYON, France — Road workers pierced a gas pipe, setting off an explosion that killed a firefighter and injured 36 people Thursday in the southeastern French city of Lyon, authorities said.
The midday explosion set fire to a building that officers were evacuating because of the gas leak, regional safety official Xavier de Furst said.
“The gas must have entered the ground floor or the basement of the building. The explosion happened as fire officers were evacuating and evaluating the danger, and unfortunately an officer was buried,” fire department chief Col. Serge Delaigue said.
Two of the injured were seriously hurt, authorities said. The toll of 36 injured included 14 fire fighters and five police officers, the local prefecture of the Rhone region said. It said the leak was caused when road workers damaged an underground gas pipe.
Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie went to the scene and spoke with the injured.