Nearly 500 arrested in France over fires since July 1 as Europe faces severe wildfire season
French authorities say 474 people — including 183 minors — have been arrested since July 1; fires rage across much of Europe.
Nearly 500 people have been detained in France since the start of July on suspicion of causing fires, French authorities say, as the continent battles an intense wildfire season driven by an extreme heat wave.
The French Ministry of the Interior reports that 474 people have been taken into custody since July 1, including 183 minors. Officials say roughly 70 percent of those arrested are suspected of deliberately starting fires, while the remainder are believed to have caused blazes accidentally.
Among the cases under investigation is the arrest of a 15-year-old suspected of involvement in the blaze at Bordeaux airport that killed two firefighters in July.
Large blazes across Europe
Major fires are currently burning from Croatia and Greece to Spain, Germany and Belgium. In the Landes region of France, thousands were forced to leave their homes after flames raced through dry pine forest.
In western Germany more than 2,000 people were evacuated when a fire approached the village of Gej; firefighting efforts have been complicated by unexploded Second World War munitions that can detonate under heat. Belgium is also facing severe damage, with flames sweeping into the High Fens — the country’s largest natural reserve.
Croatian authorities reported a catastrophic blaze around Lokva Rogoznica that spread toward the tourist town of Omiš, driven by strong winds. Describing the incident, chief fire officer Slavko Tucaković said, "It was a powerful fire, it carried everything before it."
In Spain, the army moved the remains of three 11th-century Aragonese kings from the San Juan de la Peña monastery after a fire advanced on the historic complex; the blaze there grew to more than 9,000 hectares and prompted the evacuation of 16 towns and villages. A larger inferno in Huelva province has consumed about 31,000 hectares.
Greece saw dramatic rescues as roughly 500 holidaymakers were evacuated from Halkidiki beaches by boat when a fire front about three kilometres wide sent flames up to 30 metres into the air. The Copernicus monitoring service has warned of "very extreme" fire risk across large parts of Europe, noting that high temperatures and prolonged drought are leaving vegetation exceptionally dry and susceptible to rapid spread.
Photo: press material from the event
