Gunman shoots firefighter responding to vehicle fire near Marseille

A fire commander was severely wounded and a second firefighter was hurt when a gunman opened fire on crews tackling a lorry and car fire at Les Pennes-Mirabeau, near Marseille, on Sunday afternoon, prefect Jacques Witkowski said. The commander, an adjudant-chef, was shot in the chest and taken to hospital; a fire vehicle was also hit, Witkowski said, without giving further detail on the second firefighter's injuries.

The attack happened as crews were putting out a fire involving a lorry and light vehicles in the Plan de Campagne commercial zone, Witkowski said. He said the gunman had probably set the vehicles alight himself before opening fire on the firefighters.

National and municipal police moved in quickly and confined the man to a caravan on the site, where he barricaded himself for several dozen minutes before being arrested by the elite RAID tactical unit, broadcaster BFMTV reported. A source close to the investigation told Franceinfo the suspect was a 51-year-old man, described as marginalised and already known to police for minor offences; Witkowski said the man was known for previous violent acts, including with a weapon, and probably suffered from psychiatric problems.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on X that the exact circumstances still had to be established, voicing his indignation at what he called a violent and gratuitous attack on firefighters who had put themselves at risk to protect others. He said the wounded firefighter had received medical care and that his thoughts were with him.

Éric Brocardi, spokesman for France's firefighters, said rescue work must never put responders in danger. "When those who come to help become targets, our republican pact is damaged," he said, offering support to the wounded firefighter, his relatives and the teams on the scene.