Fire hits landmark Le Corbusier building

MARSEILLE, France, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A fire gutted eight apartments in a landmark complex by Le Corbusier in Marseille, France.

The blaze that began Thursday afternoon also damaged 35 apartments in the nine-story La Cite Radieuse complex and four rooms in the building's hotel, Radio France Internationale reported. Firefighters worked through the night, extinguishing the fire Friday morning.

About 1,500 residents were evacuated from the building.

The complex, constructed after World War II, was based on Le Corbusier's Ville Radieuse or Radiant City plan, which he first developed in the 1920s. The Radiant City was to consist of skyscrapers housing both homes and offices and surrounded by parkland.

La Cite Radieuse includes stores, a gym and a restaurant in addition to the hotel and apartments, all within a single block. The roof includes a terrace with a children's paddling pool.