A fire broke out at the Nelson-Mandela high school in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, on Thursday, October 1st, in the morning, according to multiple reports. The fire started in the entrance hall of the school and spread to the facade, with black smoke visible in the city center. Student testimonies collected by ICI Loire Océan suggested that the fire began as a trash fire before spreading to the school. Witnesses and officials, including BFMTV, shared images showing the school's facade engulfed in flames. The deputy principal of the school, Gaëlle Cordier, described the fire as "deliberate," though the exact origin remains unknown. Firefighters were on site and controlled the fire by 11 a.m. According to the regional council of Pays-de-la-Loire, which owns the building, no students were inside the school at the time, and the school will remain closed for an undetermined period while damage is assessed. Christelle Morançais, president of the Pays de la Loire region, condemned the incident, stating, "Everywhere the same vandals. Everywhere the same violence. Everywhere the same political instrumentalization. No demands to satisfy, just the will to sow chaos and destroy everything. This is not the youth of France." She also mentioned fires at dozens of other locations across France. Other reports noted that several fires were observed near the Nelson-Mandela high school and in other parts of Nantes, such as at the Michelet vocational high school and in front of the Talensac private high school, whose facade also burned. In addition, a fire was reported at the Lumière high school in the 8th arrondissement of Lyon. At least 340 actions were recorded in front of high schools nationwide on Thursday morning, with the Nelson-Mandela high school in Nantes being one of the sites affected. The mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, called for calm amid the protests.