The flame was reported to start wee hours of Sunday from a trash-can outside the house of the workers in Dijon, a historical city in eastern France, leaving around 130 people lightly hurt.

Except for four severely injured, most of the injured were suffering from carbon monoxide poison, firefighters were quoted by local media as saying.

Local authorities started an investigation into the cause of the fire and are working to replace residents in the 9-storey building torched by the flames.