A firefighter injured during the explosion of a barricade in Bordeaux

The images are striking. A firefighter found himself in the middle of a spectacular spray of flames this Tuesday, September 29 after the explosion of a flaming barricade by high school students. The incident occurred on rue Sainte-Catherine, the emblematic shopping street in downtown Bordeaux, where the Montaigne high school is located. The establishment had been blocked since the beginning of the morning, while dozens of young people demonstrated as part of the civil service strike organized today.

According to the Gironde firefighters, an aerosol was thrown into the fire. Under the effect of the heat, the object exploded when the emergency services intervened, projecting the flames onto the firefighter. Images posted on social networks show the rescuer briefly enveloped by the incandescent blast, before he turns around to be taken care of by his colleagues.

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Transported to hospital, the firefighter was then able to return to his barracks in the afternoon. His condition was not specified, but he was prescribed several days of work interruption, indicated the prefect of Gironde, Sophie Brocas. In a joint press release with the rectorate, the state representative strongly condemned the facts. “No demonstration can justify endangering those who come to the aid of the population,” the authorities stressed.