Overview
- Staff spotted two young people at about 2 a.m. forcing entry to Ehpad Les Tilleuls in La Grand-Croix and sacking technical and kitchen areas before setting bin fires.
- Firefighters quickly extinguished the blazes and no residents or staff were injured or overcome by smoke.
- The attackers damaged three vehicles, overturned furniture and emptied kitchen fridges, causing major material and operational disruption at the home that houses about 100 residents.
- The prosecutor of Saint-Étienne has opened a formal investigation for 'destruction et dégradation par incendie' and the case has been entrusted to the police judiciaire with no arrests reported so far.
- Facility managers are repairing the damage and offering psychological support to employees and residents, and local officials warned the episode echoes sporadic urban violence in the area and raises safety concerns for vulnerable people.