Metz (France) (AFP) – An investigation was opened following the fire Friday evening in the playground of a college in Metz and at least two vehicles parked underneath, prosecutor David Touvet told AFP on Saturday, who favors an intentional act without the link with the high school demonstrations having yet been established.
Published on: 03/10/2026 - 11:46 Modified on: 03/10/2026 - 16:45
The prosecutor indicated that he could not “confirm nor deny a link” with the incidents on the sidelines of “the high school demonstrations” of recent days.
“As it stands, we have reason to believe that there may be several people who acted: the preferred hypothesis, which must be confirmed, is that it is not an accidental act, that there is the intervention of a third party,” indicated the prosecutor.
No potential suspects have been identified at this time.
“Witnesses indicated that they saw several people (...) fleeing around the time of the incident,” Friday around 10:30 p.m., he said.
The investigation has not yet made it possible to establish how the fire started and spread. According to a police source, two vehicles first burned before the flames spread to the courtyard of the François-Rabelais college.
The college's toilets, which were located under the courtyard, are unusable, indicated the president of the Moselle departmental council, Patrick Weiten.
The main building of the establishment was generally spared, although the flames damaged windows on part of the facade. The establishment's digital networks also seem to have suffered from the fire, according to the elected official.
“The objective is to reopen and welcome college students Monday morning. We are mobilizing to have temporary toilets,” he said.
© 2026 AFP
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