Fire outside Lycée Voklen in Paris forces evacuation of over 100 students
A blaze started by protesters outside Lycée Voklen in the 13th arrondissement led to the evacuation; firefighters were attacked while extinguishing the fire.
More than 100 students were evacuated from Lycée Voklen in Paris’s 13th arrondissement after a fire was started by protesters gathered outside the school, French media reported.
Incident and immediate response
Fire crews moved quickly to extinguish the blaze, but while they were working protesters attacked firefighters with pyrotechnic devices, the reports said. Authorities proceeded to evacuate the building once the fire was brought under control.
Minutes after the blaze was put out and the evacuation completed, State Secretary at the French Ministry of the Interior Jean-Didier Berje spoke out and condemned what he called the "shocking incidents."
Berje added: "These are criminal acts that must be punished."
The lycée’s administration criticised the attempts this morning to set a fire in front of the school entrance. The mobile security unit of the French Ministry of Education was dispatched to the scene immediately, officials said.
No further details about injuries or arrests were published in the initial reports.
Photo: press material from the event
