Illegal fireworks near Marseille: three minors arrested after fire
A fire caused by illegal fireworks displays has destroyed 2,000 m² of vegetation north of Marseille. Three minors have been taken into custody.
Fire north of Marseille: illegal fireworks behind the incident
Charred pines, 2,000 square metres of vegetation destroyed, and flames near residential areas: this is the toll from a fire that occurred on the evening of Saturday 5 September in a dried-out forest north of Marseille. According to France Info, the fire was caused by illegal fireworks displays. Three minors were arrested and taken into custody.
Sébastien Tédesco, a resident of Pennes-Mirabeau (Bouches-du-Rhône), was the first to alert emergency services after filming the blaze. "There were fireworks going off here actually, like a kind of small fireworks display," he recounts. "They set off two fireworks, but they stopped quickly because I shouted like a madman, the neighbours did the same." His conclusion is unequivocal: "Fireworks in the middle of the hillside, it's just stupid really."
Anger mixed with fear among residents
Virginie Raclot, whose house was threatened by the flames, said she was traumatised by a previous fire the year before. "There's hate that comes too because we're on red alert, it's drought and we know that the slightest spark can have very serious consequences," she states.
A phenomenon spreading across the country
Illegal fireworks displays are multiplying across France, outside any legal framework. France Info cites several recent incidents: a sporting celebration in the heart of Paris, an improvised pyrotechnic display in front of a prison in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine), or a building fire in Rillieux-la-Pape (Rhône) last year, after a mortar round fell onto a balcony. "You should have seen it, it went up 20 metres, the smoke went up 20 metres above the building," a neighbouring resident testified at the time.
Devices accessible with a few clicks on social media
To obtain these pyrotechnic devices, a few clicks are enough. On social media, dozens of adverts offer them for sale, fuelling an illegal parallel network that customs authorities are attempting to dismantle. During the summer of 2026, they seized 46,000 illegal pyrotechnic devices across French territory.
Source: France Info