At 4:55 pm on Wednesday, June 21^st, an explosion tore through Rue Saint-Jacques, which runs from the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Sorbonne University, injuring about 40 people in the blast. The Paris American Academy was severely damaged in the explosion with several fires springing up in its wake. Though there is no confirmation as to the cause, a gas leak is suspected to be likely. Rescue and recovery efforts are still underway as first responders parse through the rubble for potential survivors. This blast occurs on the tails of a similar explosion in April where a residential building was decimated in the French port city of Marseille under similar circumstances.