a man taken into custody in the investigation of the fire in Landiras

A man has been taken into custody in the investigation on the fire in Landiras (Gironde), announced the prosecution, on the evening of Monday July 18. Investigation, “which continues with numerous expert reports and witness hearings”, was opened for “destruction by fire of wood, forest, moor, maquis or plantation of others which could cause damage to people”, indicates in its press release the prosecutor of Bordeaux, Frédérique Porterie.

The prosecution, which had already announced that it would favor the “criminal thesis” to explain the outbreak of this fire, recalls that a motorist testified to having seen a man hastily leave the place where the disaster began on Tuesday.

“Criminal identification technicians were able to make findings that accredit a deliberately malicious actwrites the prosecution. On July 12, at 4:25 p.m., a mechanic who was traveling with his daughter (…) observed (…) a vehicle parked on the side of the road which quickly drove off in his sight. When he arrived at the parking lot, the witness noticed that the fire was spreading. He would stop and try in vain to turn it off.”

Investigators have made a connection between this incident and “other fire starts observed in the same area on the same day but at different times”also for “three other fire starts observed between July 13 and 15”, “quickly circumscribed”. Nevertheless, “clues remain to be exploited in order to eliminate or retain the thesis of the same author”, says Frédérique Porterie again. The investigation is carried out jointly by the gendarmes of the Langon research brigade and the local branch of the Central Office for the fight against attacks on the environment and public health (OCLAESP).