Tuesday, July 22, 2003 Posted: 1810 GMT ( 2:10 AM HKT)
PARIS, France -- A fire broke out at the top of the Eiffel Tower Tuesday and smoke was seen billowing from the Paris monument.

The fire started in a so-called technical room housing antenna equipment at the top of the tower, Paris police told CNN. Smoke curled from the third floor of the top level of the famous tower.

The blaze appeared to be in an area inaccessible to tourists, and there were no immediate reports of injuries, The Associated Press said.

Fire trucks and rescue vehicles gathered at the base of the tower. Streams of visitors were filing out of the tower after being evaculated, AP said.

A Reuters reporter close to the tower said there was a "fairly thin trail" of gray smoke sifting into the blue sky.

The company that operates the tower confirmed there was a fire but gave no details as to its origin, AP said.

The operating company had no information about whether anyone may have been injured in the blaze, which appeared to be limited to a top floor of the monument.

The 1,069-foot iron-laced tower draws 6 million visitors a year, making it among the most popular paying tourist attractions in the world.

The tower was built by Gustav Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair.