French investigators say fire caused 2016 EgyptAir crash

French air accident investigators say that a rapidly spreading fire probably caused the crash of an EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo in 2016, casting doubt on Egyptian authorities' claims that traces of explosives were found. French investigation agency BEA said in a statement late Friday that "the most likely hypothesis is that a fire broke out in the cockpit and "spread rapidly, resulting in loss of control." Authorities at Cairo airport declined to comment, saying only that state prosecutors were investigating the case. Egyptian authorities are carrying out a criminal investigation amid suspicions that explosives were involved. The BEA has also investigated the crash alongside Egyptian and American experts. In its statement, the French agency cited its "difference of opinion" with the Egyptian conclusions based on evidence collected so far, including the BEA's advanced repair work on flight recorders found in the Mediterranean depths. The BEA urged Egyptian prosecutors to investigate the possibility it was an accidental fire, to prevent such accidents in the future. <br/>