Limoges town hall damaged in French protest blaze
The gist
A fire set at Limoges town hall during nationwide cost-of-living protests left the 143-year-old building largely lost.
The blaze gutted a landmark that survived two world wars; about 1,200 were arrested.
How it unfolded
- Oct 17, 2026Witnesses said masked protesters who had torched a police car outside the town hall broke windows and entered the building to set a fire during nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living.
- Oct 17, 2026Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate said the roof collapsed onto lower floors except the west wing and two-thirds of the exterior had disappeared; firefighters were deployed late Saturday to contain the blaze.
- Oct 17, 2026Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said about 1,200 people had been arrested, and outgoing President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that there is no place for violence in the republic.