FIRST OFF . . .

Ten people were injured late Saturday when fire struck a Paris movie theater showing “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Four spectators and six police officers who helped evacuate the cinema were hospitalized for treatment of smoke inhalation, police said Sunday. One of the spectators suffered serious injuries, they said. It took firemen an hour to bring the flames under control at the St. Michel cinema on the Left Bank, which has been the focus of violent demonstrations since the controversial film opened last month. One member of the audience reported seeing “a great flash of fire and smoke,” but police said the cause of the fire was unknown. A theater employee told French radio that all customers had been searched as they arrived. “We were taking penknives and tear-gas bombs,” he said. The film by director Martin Scorsese provoked a violent reaction from traditionalist Catholic demonstrators who threw tear gas, broke theater windows and punched members of the audience when it opened. On Sunday, security guards were posted outside the Gaumont Champs-Elysees theater, the only other Paris house showing the film.