The area where the blaze broke out is inaccessible to tourists.

PARIS (AP) – A fire broke out on the top of the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, sending black smoke pouring from the 1,069-foot Paris landmark and forcing the evacuation of a stream of visitors.

The fire – which broke out in an area housing television and radio equipment, just below the tower’s antenna – was put out after about an hour, police said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, the company that operates the tower said.

The area where the blaze broke out is inaccessible to tourists, above the third floor observation deck 910 feet up, the highest place visitors can reach. There are restaurants on the first two levels.

After black smoke began pouring from the tower’s top at about 7:15 p.m., fire trucks and rescue vehicles gathered at the base as panicked visitors streamed out.

A red helicopter swooped around the tower, inspecting the lower floors. Police blocked off access as tourists waited on the grass below, taking photographs or peering up through binoculars.

The thick smoke began to taper off soon afterward. Just over an hour later, police said the blaze was extinguished.

Officials said they were not sure whether anyone was in the area where the fire erupted. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The same portion of the tower caught fire in 1956, destroying the structure’s summit.

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