At around 3.30 am on Thursday, an arson attack destroyed a warehouse housing around 50 gendarmerie vehicles at the Grenoble brigade; the prefecture confirmed the news on BFMTV. One gendarme suffered “mild smoke inhalation” whilst attempting to respond to the incident; he was taken to Grenoble University Hospital but his life is not in danger.
The fire brought in around 50 firefighters, who brought the blaze under control at around 6.45 am. The police then discovered that the fire station’s fence had been cut through.
Gérard Collomb, the Minister of the Interior, is “dismayed and outraged” and has condemned “a particularly serious act”. He has given assurances that “all necessary measures have been taken to ensure that the vehicles and equipment are replaced without delay” and “that the units affected by this vandalism are able to carry out their duties”. The investigation is being conducted by the Grenoble Criminal Investigation Department.