Firefighters in France were responding to reports of fires that were causing delays on high-speed train lines connecting Paris to several surrounding cities on Friday morning, the opening day of the Olympics.
The national railway company, known as the S.N.C.F., said that a “malicious act” had taken place around Arras, a town about 100 miles north of Paris, on the high-speed train line between Paris and Lille. Another such act took place near Courtalain, a town about 90 miles southwest of Paris, on the lines connecting Tours and Le Mans to Paris, it said. The local media reported that there had been fires on the rail lines.