Volunteer firefighter arrested for starting fire near Paris
Two 19-year-old men were taken into custody following a massive forest fire near Fontainebleau. One of them, a volunteer firefighter, admitted to deliberately pouring petrol on branches before setting them alight.
Volunteer firefighter arrested for starting fire near Paris
Two young men were arrested as part of the investigation into the massive fire that ravaged the Fontainebleau forest, near Paris. According to information from 444.hu, one of the suspects is a volunteer firefighter who made a full confession.
The latter, aged 19, admitted to pouring petrol on twigs before setting them alight with a lighter. The second suspect, also born in 2007, claimed to have caused flames by accident by throwing his cigarette. Both are without criminal records.
The fire destroyed more than two thousand hectares of vegetation in the region. Two major fire fronts were still burning at the time of the arrests, although rescue services managed to prevent their spread. The forest in question is a major historical site: it surrounds the Fontainebleau château, a building transformed in the 16th century by King Francis I into a symbol of French power, and served for centuries as a royal hunting estate.
The consequences also affected infrastructure: the A6 motorway, which connects the capital to Lyon and the southern regions, had to be closed. Furthermore, secondary fire outbreaks disrupted high-speed train traffic in the surrounding area.
This case is part of a broader context: since the start of the year, 32,000 hectares have already been consumed by flames across French territory, a toll exceeding all the destruction caused by forest fires in 2025. At the national level, 59 people have been arrested on suspicion of arson, roughly half of whom are minors and some are repeat offenders.
Source: 444