In brief
375 people arrested since early July, including 142 minors, with 36 already incarcerated.
The Gironde fire, the worst since 1949, burned over 40,000 hectares and forced 224,000 evacuations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez says 70% of fires were started deliberately.
1,500 firefighters and 450 vehicles still battling the Var blaze, which has covered 1,800 hectares.
- 31 JulVar fire starts near Gros Bessillon massif
- 1 Aug308 arrests reported by Interior Minister
- 3 Aug375 arrests confirmed; Gironde evacuees begin returning
Arrests surge to 375
French police have arrested 375 people since the start of summer in connection with the wildfires that have swept the country, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. Among them are 142 minors. A source close to the investigation told BFMTV that 36 individuals have already been incarcerated, either serving prison sentences or held in pre-trial detention. The figure marks a sharp rise from the 308 arrests reported by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez just two days earlier.
“Two thirds of the events observed are deliberate fires, the rest being accidental.”
- Deliberate
- 70 %
- Accidental / negligence
- 30 %
Data from the article text
Profile of suspects
Those arrested range from young teenagers to a volunteer firefighter. In Rennes, a 13-year-old was caught gathering branches to start a fire near a school on 13 July. In the Lot, a 16-year-old admitted to setting five fires between April and July. In Fontainebleau, one of the blazes was lit by a volunteer firefighter born in 2007 who confessed to starting it. Clinical psychologist Marjorie Sueur described the mindset of such offenders.
“The pyromaniac starts fires out of a fascination with fire. Where everyone sees a disaster in a forest fire, he sees a thrilling spectacle that gives him pleasure. This fire is his masterpiece.”
Fire situation
In Gironde, the most severe wildfire since 1949 has been fixed after burning more than 40,000 hectares over about ten days. Almost all of the 224,000 residents and tourists evacuated from 23 communes since 22 July have now been allowed to return. The villages of Le Porge and Lège-Cap-Ferret reopened on Monday afternoon. In the Var, a fire that started on Friday south of the Gros Bessillon massif has covered around 1,800 hectares. It remains contained but not yet fully stabilised. On Monday morning, 1,500 firefighters backed by 450 vehicles were still working to secure the area ahead of an afternoon deemed high-risk.
Ongoing risk
Nationally, 14,131 fires have burned 117,000 hectares since early July. Météo-France placed 36 departments under a high forest-fire risk on Monday. Prefectures are urging vigilance, warning that flare-ups remain possible even in zones where fires are fixed.