World · Europe · 7 hrs ago
Fire damages Rouen university building; authorities suspect it was deliberate
A fire broke out at about 2:30 a.m.
on Saturday at the University of Rouen's Michel Serres building in Mont-Saint-Aignan, near Rouen, France.
It damaged two floors, the facade and about 300 square metres of roof, but no one was injured.
The prosecutor said the fire appeared to have been deliberately started, possibly using rubbish near the entrance; investigators are still checking how it began.
The building was renovated in 2020 and contains student services and two lecture halls, as well as university staff offices.
It had not been blocked during recent student and school pupil protests, and investigators have not linked the fire to the protests.
The main fire was put out around 4:30 a.m., while firefighters later dealt with smaller fires; 50 firefighters and 30 vehicles were sent.
The university had announced that in-person classes would resume on Monday, October 19, but had not yet said whether the fire would affect classes.
A fire damaged the Michel Serres building at the University of Rouen in Mont-Saint-Aignan early on Saturday, 17 October.
Authorities said the fire was probably deliberate, and the prosecutor said the blaze appeared to have been started intentionally.
The fire broke out at about 2:30 a.m. and destroyed 300 square metres of roofing.
No one was injured, and 50 firefighters and 30 vehicles were deployed.
Investigators have not linked the fire to student or high-school protests.
- Who
- The University of Rouen was affected. Authorities are investigating the cause.
- What
- A fire damaged the Michel Serres building, destroying 300 square metres of roofing. Authorities suspect it was deliberate.
- When
- About 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, 17 October 2026.
- Where
- The Michel Serres building of the University of Rouen in Mont-Saint-Aignan, near Rouen, France.
- Why
- The cause is under investigation; authorities said the fire appeared to have been started intentionally.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The fire broke out at the university building in Mont-Saint-Aignan.
Firefighters extinguished the main blaze.
Secondary fires were still being dealt with along the façade.
- Location
- Michel Serres building, Mont-Saint-Aignan
- Fire reported
- About 2:30 a.m., 17 October 2026
- Roof damage
- 300 square metres destroyed
- Emergency response
- 50 firefighters and 30 vehicles
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Authorities said the fire appeared to have been started deliberately
6 sources
Violent incendie à l'université de Rouen : un départ de feu "manifestement volontaire" selon le procureur de la République
À l'aube des mobilisations: L'université de Rouen touchée par un incendie
Incendie criminel ravage l'université de Rouen : 300 m2 de toiture détruits
Près de Rouen. Un bâtiment de la faculté de lettres pris par les flammes, 50 pompiers sur place
What people are saying
The fire was manifestly started deliberately.
Setting fire to a university is not a form of protest: it is an attack on knowledge, those who teach it and those who learn there. Nothing can justify it.
The closer we got, the more we could see the flames in the building. So we called the firefighters straight away.
To see a building that was completely renovated in 2020 burned down is tragic.
Posts on X
Incendie à l'université de Rouen à Mont-Saint-Aignan Le préfet de la Seine-Maritime, le procureur de Rouen et le président de l’université ont pu constater, ce samedi matin, les dégâts occasionnés par l'incendie qui s'est déclaré cette nuit, dans le bâtiment Michel-Serres.
Cette nuit, un violent incendie a ravagé l'UFR de lettres de l'@UnivRouen, sur le campus de Mont-Saint-Aignan. L’incendie était volontaire et la justice devra sanctionner ses auteurs avec la plus grande sévérité. Aucun blessé n'est à déplorer et je veux saluer l'engagement des
Un incendie a détruit tôt la façade et une "grande partie de la toiture" d'un bâtiment de l'université de Rouen, samedi 17 octobre. La préfecture précise que 50 pompiers et 30 engins ont été mobilisés sur le sinistre. Une enquête a été ouverte afin d'identifier l'origine du