PARIS (AP) -- The Eiffel Tower reopened Wednesday, a day after an electrical fire that may have been fueled by wet paint broke out near the top of the Paris landmark, forcing thousands of alarmed visitors to evacuate.
Early-morning arrivals were admitted to the two lower observation decks, while workers cleaned debris from the third and highest deck where Tuesday night's fire occurred, said an official from the company that runs the Eiffel Tower.
The tower's 910-foot-high third deck was expected to reopen later in the day, the official said.
The Tuesday evening fire, which officials said erupted in a telecommunications room, sent thick plumes of gray smoke pouring from the top of the Eiffel Tower _ the highest structure in Paris' skyline.
Jean-Bernard Bros, president of the company that operates the tower, said a recently finished 18-month paint job of the monument could have fueled the fire. The repainting, which started at the base and finished up top, left freshly applied paint that was perhaps more flammable than if it were dry.
``It's because of that that it caught fire and the smoke was so impressive,'' Bros said, adding that there were no longer any risk to visitors.
``If the tower is open, it's because it's secure. We wouldn't have opened it otherwise.''
Jean-Paul Proust, the Paris police chief, said the fire was electrical in nature but authorities did not know the cause. An investigation was under way.
The pre-dusk blaze occurred at the highest level accessible to tourists but in an area sealed off from the public. The fire was out within in an hour and no one was injured.
Officials had hoped to reopen the monument's lower floors to late-night visitors Tuesday, but the reopening had to be delayed until Wednesday morning. The attraction stays open to visitors until midnight in the summer.
As night settled Tuesday on the City of Light, the 20,000 sparkling bulbs that weave through the iron lattice work were turned on for the usual hourly 10-minute show.
Officials praised the quick work by firefighters in extinguishing the blaze. About 100 firefighters rushed to the base of the tower shortly after the fire was reported at 7:21 p.m. local time.
A stream of up to 4,000 visitors was evacuated, fire Cmdr. Christian Decolloredo said.
The same portion of the tower caught fire in 1956, destroying the structure's summit.
The Eiffel Tower has had more than 200 million visitors since it opened at the Paris Exhibition in 1889. It draws 6 million visitors a year, making it the world's most popular paying tourist attraction.
One visitor Wednesday morning said the previous night's commotion made her feel a bit safer _ statistically speaking.
``It's not going to happen again,'' said Leslie Edelman, visiting from San Francisco with her 5-year-old son. ``The odds are really against it, right?''
Related:
