Fontainebleau: volunteer firefighter and student remanded in custody for arson
Two 18-year-olds, one a volunteer firefighter and the other a student, have been imprisoned after appearing before a judge for deliberately starting fires in the forest.
Fontainebleau: volunteer firefighter and student remanded in custody for arson
Two 18-year-old boys have been sent to provisional prison following their appearance before an investigating magistrate. The first is employed as a volunteer rescue worker, the second is pursuing higher education. They are accused of deliberately causing fires on 13 July in two communes in Seine-et-Marne: Arbonne-la-Forêt and the Fontainebleau area. The public prosecutor's representative requested their detention; the maximum sentence they face is fifteen years' imprisonment.
The student admitted his guilt during custody. The rescue worker, for his part, denies any involvement. The two defendants had no connection with each other and are said to have operated independently.
An acquaintance of the student expressed disbelief. For this person, the young man is "someone who goes out of his way for everyone". She wishes that the precise circumstances of his presence at the location be clarified.
The firefighter, who had joined the service less than a year ago, was suspended by prefectural order. The Seine-et-Marne departmental fire and rescue service confirmed that he could no longer serve.
In parallel, the exact source of the massive fire that devastated the woodland remains unclear. Two construction workers employed on a site near the A6 motorway continue to be questioned. The hypothesis of a construction site accident has not been ruled out, but the theory of a deliberate act has not been abandoned either.
In a related matter, a 46-year-old man was apprehended on Tuesday evening in a car park near the forest. In his vehicle, law enforcement found lighter refills and crumpled newspaper.
Since the beginning of the summer season, approximately sixty individuals have been arrested across France for starting fires. Michel Lejoyeux, a psychiatry lecturer at Paris-Cité University, distinguishes two distinct profiles: the pyromaniac, driven by a compulsive and recurring inner impulse, and the arsonist, motivated by criminal reasons or a desire for revenge.
Source: franceinfo
Source: France Info