143-yr-old Town Hall, which survived World Wars, set on fire amid violent protests in France. The 143-year-old Town Hall in France's Limoges has been largely destroyed by a fire allegedly set by masked "hooligans" amid violent protests. Visuals showed the municipal building's roof collapsing and its bell tower falling. Local prefect Maurice Barate called the damage a "heritage catastrophe" after two-thirds of the exterior of the 1883 structure, which survived two World Wars, was lost.