The fire that caused serious damage on Saturday to the Limoges Town Hall, a historic building from the 19th century, was brought under control this Sunday, while firefighters continue working to extinguish the last outbreaks, reported the prefect of the French department of Haute-Vienne, Maurice Barate.
“The fire is under control,” the prefect (government delegate) declared to the LCI channel, adding that emergency teams were putting out the last embers.
The fire occurred on Saturday during a day of social protests in France. According to local authorities, several protesters forced entry to the building and set fire inside, after which the flames spread to the upper floors and reached the roof, which ended up collapsing.
The building has been practically destroyed
The mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guérin, condemned the attack last night and assured that the Town Hall had been practically destroyed. However, he stated that municipal services would continue to function despite the damage.
“They have destroyed a building that the inhabitants of Limoges love, but they have not destroyed the public service,” declared Guérin. “It is,” he said, “a monument that burns, but not the Republic.”
The mayor also expressed his confidence that those responsible would be arrested and maintained that the agents deployed during the protest did not have sufficient means to contain the violent participants.
Built between 1876 and 1883
According to the prefect stated today, some 5,000 people participated in the demonstration, including several hundred individuals whom he described as radicalized and extremely violent.
After the incidents at City Hall, some protesters headed towards the prefecture, while others looted businesses in the city center, he added.
The prefect claimed that the fire had been deliberately set and condemned attacks on public buildings and commercial establishments.
Limoges Town Hall was built between 1876 and 1883 and is considered a historical monument. The building combines architectural elements inspired by the late Renaissance and the era of Louis XIII.
