BERLIN (AP) — A huge fire broke out in an apartment building in the western German city of Essen early Monday, and three people were taken to a hospital after inhaling smoke, authorities said.

The fire service said that about 100 people were evacuated from the building, roughly the number of people who lived there, news agency dpa reported. About 150 officers were dispatched to fight the fire.

The cause wasn't immediately clear, but the fire appeared to have spread quickly after it broke out in the early hours, fueled by gusts from the latest of a series of storms that have hit northern Europe in recent days.