This Wednesday, August 10, a man was taken into police custody at 8:45 a.m. after going to the gendarmerie brigade in Meyrueis (Lozère) following the fire which ravaged nearly 700 hectares of vegetation between the departments of Lozère and Aveyron.
Around 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday August 10, a man went to the Meyrueis gendarmerie brigade following the fire that broke out on Monday August 8 in Lozère before spreading to Aveyron. . The latter was taken into custody.
The man faces five years in prison
Contacted, the deputy prosecutor, Magali Espaze, recalls that, until proven otherwise, the man is currently considered innocent. “If the facts are true, she explains, he may be prosecuted for involuntary destruction by fire of wood, forest or heathland which may create irreversible damage to the environment by breach of an obligation of safety or prudence. The penalty is five years in prison. “An investigation has been opened by the Lozère prosecutor’s office, because the fire broke out in our department, she adds. With the current drought, we remind you that it is important to remain cautious.”
Recall of facts
Regarding the origin of the fire, it would be due to the passage of an agricultural machine on the D32 departmental road between the town of Massegros-Causses-Gorges (Lozère) and Boyne (Aveyron). The mayor of the Lozère commune, Jean-Paul Pourquier, explains “that part of the equipment that makes up the vehicle fell on the road without the driver (the person placed in police custody, editor’s note) noticing, causing fires to start over six or seven kilometers.”
As a reminder, the fire ravaged nearly 700 hectares of vegetation and mobilized significant human resources, nearly 450 firefighters. Dash and Canadairs were also mobilized, as well as the Dragon 48 and an army helicopter.
More information to follow…