A fire broke out at the Transdev Occitanie bus depot in Castelnau-le-Lez, northeast of Montpellier, during the night of Tuesday, September 29, to Wednesday, September 30, destroying 17 buses. Around 5 a.m., approximately 70 firefighters from the SDIS 34 (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service) and about 20 vehicles were mobilized on Louis Blériot Street, near Marcel Dassault Avenue. Flames reached ten meters high when the firefighters arrived, and they were divided into two groups to tackle the blaze. The fire was particularly intense on the open-air bus parking lot, where the close proximity of parked vehicles likely contributed to the rapid spread of flames. Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire and prevent damage to a neighboring bus depot. According to the city of Montpellier, as reported by BFM, the last flames were smothered shortly before 7 a.m. The SDIS 34 did not provide further details about the incident. Michaël Delafosse, the mayor of Montpellier (PS), discussed the fire on Wednesday through his social media accounts, noting that sixteen buses had burned, calling it "a serious and heavy loss for the public transport service." The city of Montpellier confirmed the opening of a "scientific investigation," an element Delafosse had mentioned in his X publication. He suggested that the start of several fires might indicate a deliberate origin, though the exact cause remains to be determined. The gendarmerie, which is leading the investigation, will look into this matter. A formal complaint has been filed with the Castelnau-le-Lez gendarmerie handling the case. The Montpellier city council stated that surveillance camera footage has been provided to the relevant authorities to assist in the investigation. As for the public, the circulation of TaM 3M buses should not be affected, as the burned vehicles were non-operational. The incident highlights the importance of fire safety in transportation hubs and the potential risks posed by the close proximity of vehicles in parking areas. While the immediate danger has been contained, the investigation will continue to uncover the cause and any potential legal implications.