French fireman dies putting out blaze during riots: minister

'An investigation is underway' to determine the circumstances of the vehicle fires, the interior ministry added

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Photo: Reuters

By AFP

Published: Mon 3 Jul 2023, 12:51 PM

A French fireman died while seeking to douse burning cars north of Paris, during a sixth consecutive night of rioting over the police killing of a teenager, the interior minister said on Monday.

The 24-year-old fireman died fighting the fire in an underground car park in the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis north of the capital, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

"An investigation is underway" to determine the circumstances of the vehicle fires, the interior ministry added.

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Darmanin did not explicitly refer to the rioting as a cause of the fires and it was not immediately clear if there was a direct link with the violence that has rocked France for almost a week.

"Last night, while battling multiple fires in Saint-Denis, a young (fire brigade) corporal died," said Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Twitter.

Transport Minister Clement Beaune added: "My thoughts go out to the public servants mobilised day and night for a return to calm."

The ministry said police arrested 157 people nationwide in the overnight rioting, a fraction of the numbers taken in on previous days in a generally quieter night.

Three members of the security forces were injured, also down sharply on previous nights.

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AFP

Published: Mon 3 Jul 2023, 12:51 PM

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