A mother died overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in Bussy-Saint-Georges (Seine-et-Marne) in the fire in her apartment, said the department's firefighters and a police source.
The woman, in her 40s, was found unconscious by paramedics and died.
Her 13-year-old daughter, seriously burned, was hospitalized and her vital prognosis was engaged overnight.
The victim's three other children were more lightly injured, a police source said.
Fire brought under control after one hour of intervention
The fire, which would be of accidental origin according to this same source, was contained by the firefighters after more than an hour of intervention.
Twenty people in the building were evacuated and relocated by the town hall.
An investigation has been opened by the Meaux prosecutor's office to determine the causes of the fire.