Daily Mail
A young Parisian fireman was killed last night as he tried in vain to extinguish a fierce blaze in an underground car park as France suffered a sixth night of rioting.
Dorian Damelincourt, 24, was on Monday part of an emergency operation in the troubled suburb of Saint-Denis, just north of the capital.
He reportedly died of heart attack, according to a statement from Paris police. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
'Overnight, while fighting against a blaze involving several vehicles in an underground car park in Saint-Denis, a young Corporal-Chief of the Paris Fire Brigade died despite very rapid treatment by his teammates,' Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
It comes as shocking videos showed gangs of youths looting clothing stores.
But in response to the ongoing violence, some citizens have taken matters into their own hands, with anti-riot demonstrations beginning at French town halls on Monday.
Today's demonstrations - called a 'mobilisation of citizens for a return to republican order' - came after the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb was rammed with a flaming car, prompting widespread outrage.
One clip showed a group of men standing outside a house in Metz brandishing katanas - lethal Japanese swords - as they defended their cars and properties from damage.
Others showed groups of what were described as 'football ultras and hooligans' patrolling the streets on the lookout for rioters.
The demonstrations rocking France were sparked by the killing of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old from an Algerian background who was shot at point blank range by a policeman during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
Many - including Mr Merzouk's family - said the killing was symptomatic of widespread racism against ethnic minority groups in France.
Dorian Damelincourt, 24, was on Monday part of an emergency operation in the troubled suburb of Saint-Denis, just north of the capital.
He reportedly died of heart attack, according to a statement from Paris police. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
'Overnight, while fighting against a blaze involving several vehicles in an underground car park in Saint-Denis, a young Corporal-Chief of the Paris Fire Brigade died despite very rapid treatment by his teammates,' Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
It comes as shocking videos showed gangs of youths looting clothing stores.
But in response to the ongoing violence, some citizens have taken matters into their own hands, with anti-riot demonstrations beginning at French town halls on Monday.
Today's demonstrations - called a 'mobilisation of citizens for a return to republican order' - came after the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb was rammed with a flaming car, prompting widespread outrage.
One clip showed a group of men standing outside a house in Metz brandishing katanas - lethal Japanese swords - as they defended their cars and properties from damage.
Others showed groups of what were described as 'football ultras and hooligans' patrolling the streets on the lookout for rioters.
The demonstrations rocking France were sparked by the killing of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old from an Algerian background who was shot at point blank range by a policeman during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
Many - including Mr Merzouk's family - said the killing was symptomatic of widespread racism against ethnic minority groups in France.
