On Tuesday 29 September 2026 at around 12:30 p.m., rue Sainte-Catherine in Bordeaux, in front of an entrance of the Montaigne lycée barricaded by students, a firefighter approaches a fire lit on the roadway. According to Actu17, which quotes Sud Ouest and images posted on social media, he seemed to want to put it out by stamping on it when an explosion occurred: the flames entirely engulfed him, he got out by running and his uniform did not catch fire. According to witnesses quoted by the press, the explosion was reportedly caused by an aerosol can that was in the fire.
Since the morning, the Montaigne students had been blocking access with a wall of bins, joined by high-school students from other schools; flares were fired and the barricade had already caught fire twice in the morning (Actu17). The coordinates of the entry are those of the Montaigne lycée; the scene took place at one of its entrances, rue Sainte-Catherine.
In a statement, the prefect of the Gironde and the education authority head “condemn these acts” (translated) and recall that the right to protest must be exercised with respect for everyone’s safety (Actu17). The firefighter is evacuated in a rescue vehicle, taken to the university hospital, then returns to his fire station in the afternoon; Actu17 writes that he is expected to file a complaint.
No one is identified as a perpetrator in the sources read: the category “Protesters” here designates the context (a blockade), not established perpetrators.
Follow-up
A criminal investigation is opened “concerning the fire in which a firefighter was injured on Tuesday, on the sidelines of a high-school protest on rue Sainte-Catherine” (translated) (ICI, 01/10); Actu17 specifies that it concerns “arson resulting in serious injuries” (translated). No arrest linked to this scene is reported in the sources read as of 2026-10-05.