Lancine Konate, a Guinean man celebrated as a hero in 2022 for risking his life to save residents from a fire in Rennes, France, is now facing deportation. According to the French news outlet Mediapart, Konate’s efforts to secure a residence permit have failed, despite his life-saving actions.
Earlier this year, French authorities issued an “Obligation to Leave French Territory” (OQTF) order against Konate. Since July, he has been held in an administrative detention centre in Vincennes, near Paris.
Konate, speaking from his cell to Mediapart, expressed his fear and confusion over the situation. “I don’t understand why I’m here,” he said. “They said I was a hero, even the police officers told me that if it were up to them, they would give me the papers. And today, they are doing this to me?”
Despite a judge acknowledging that Konate poses no threat to public safety and has no criminal record, his detention has been repeatedly extended.
On 15 July 2022, Konate, then 29, risked his life to save residents from a fire in an apartment building. After hearing an explosion and seeing flames, he immediately scaled the building with his bare hands, entered the apartment, and worked to control the blaze before firefighters arrived. His quick thinking likely prevented the fire from spreading further.
“We had just played soccer. We heard a big boom… When I saw the flames on the balcony and heard screams, I didn’t ask myself any questions. I climbed up. I went inside, threw water on the flames and cut the power before the firefighters arrived,” he told a local newspaper after the incident.
His brave actions left him with burns and injuries to his hand and leg, which led to him losing his job.
Following the viral spread of images showing his heroism, Konate had hoped that his status as an undocumented immigrant might be regularised, filing a request for residency at the beginning of the year. In France, acts of bravery have previously led to foreigners being granted residency or even naturalisation. A notable case is Mamoudou Gassama, who was given French citizenship in 2018 after rescuing a child from a Paris balcony.
However, Konate claims that no officials reached out to assist him in gaining legal status after the fire.
The chief of staff for the mayor of Rennes, who met with Konate in June 2023 and supported his case, revealed that the prefecture gave only a brief response, informing the municipality that Konate was under an OQTF order, enforceable until December 2023.
