Former firefighter convicted of arson at Grundhof, 23 residents endangered
A 42-year-old ex-firefighter set fire to his own building at Grundhof in May 2023, endangering 23 residents. He appeared before the Diekirch court.
Trial at Diekirch: the ex-firefighter who set fire to his own building
In the night of 10 to 11 May 2023, a 24-apartment building at Grundhof, in north-eastern Luxembourg, caught fire. The 23 other residents were put in danger. Three years after the events, the perpetrator of the deliberate arson is being tried before the Diekirch court, according to L'Essentiel.
Bob, 42, himself lit the flames in the loft of the building where he was residing, after a day of excessive alcohol consumption. "I had had enough of my life, I couldn't move forward, find a job, get into a relationship. So I set fire with a lighter to a tarpaulin that I had placed on a mattress in this loft. After that, I went back to my apartment, I don't know why, I have no more memories," he stated on Monday before the judges.
A history marked by rupture and alcohol
Until his 29th year, Bob led an ordinary life. An independent joiner, he had joined the Schifflange firefighters and had risen to the rank of sub-commander. In 2009, a dramatic turning point: a "very close friend" reported safety violations at his workshop to the Labour and Mines Inspectorate (ITM), leading to the closure of the workshop. Bob also left the fire station.
It was under the influence of alcohol that he then decided to set fire to a fire truck at his former fire station. Sentenced to six years in prison following an initial trial, he struggled, once released, to reintegrate professionally and took refuge in alcohol — a dependency already present in his mother.
In August 2019, residing in a camping site at Grundhof, he pulled out his lighter on the terrace of a bungalow neighbouring his own, destroying two bungalows. An investigation had been opened, but police officers had been unable to establish material evidence against him. "There was nothing left," declared one of the commissioners in charge of the case. It was only during the investigation into the 2023 fire that Bob admitted being the perpetrator of this fire as well.
A building without firebreak doors
After the camping site closed, Bob had moved into an apartment in a former hotel that had been converted, in the same village in the municipality of Beaufort. Several attempts at withdrawal in a hospital setting had been unsuccessful. The evening of 10 May 2023 followed a day of heavy alcohol consumption. "I suffered from alcoholism. In a sober state, I would never have thought of starting a fire," he stated to the judges. "I don't know why I pick up a lighter after drinking."
An expert heard at this first hearing emphasised the particularly dangerous conditions of the building: "It was an old building, without firebreak doors. No fire prevention measures had been put in place; it didn't take much for everything to go up in flames." The judge noted the contradiction: "A former firefighter should be aware of these consequences."
Fortunately, the fire caused no serious injuries. But the material and human damage is considerable.
Victims still without stable housing
The lawyer for Micheal, one of the displaced residents, painted a bleak picture of the consequences for her client. "This story is not just about material damage," she insisted. Micheal was only able to save his cat during the evacuation and lost almost all of his personal belongings. Since the fire, he has not found stable housing: he has successively slept in an unheated camping site, then in his car. His lawyer is claiming 10,000 euros in damages.
Other victims have made similar claims. Several of them were already in precarious situations before the fire and have not, to this day, returned to the private rental market. During the pleadings, one of the displaced residents spoke directly to the accused: "For three years, I have been living on the street being woken up because of the rain, just because you wanted to play with fire."
A second hearing in this case is scheduled for Thursday.
Source: L'Essentiel