Limoges town hall fire: witness shock after historic building collapses

On Saturday, October 17, protesters set fire to the Limoges town hall during nationwide demonstrations against the high cost of living, causing part of the building, including a bell tower, to collapse. A witness expressed shock, saying they never thought the building could catch fire to such an extent. The fire spread from the upper floors to the roof around 6 p.m., and the mayor, Guillaume Guérin, stated that police had lost intervention capacity by 3:30 p.m. He promised criminal prosecutions, and authorities opened a flagrante delicto investigation into organized destruction. Seventeen people, including seven minors, were taken into custody. The historic monument, inaugurated in 1883, was still being extinguished on Sunday morning, with the prefect describing the fire as deliberately set by a "wild horde." Nationwide, organizers reported 800,000 demonstrators, while the interior minister cited 550,000, with 110,000 in Paris.