A man was arrested Saturday evening after allegedly stealing 44 bottles of grand cru wine from an evacuated home in Eysines, near Bordeaux, as wildfires continued to ravage the Gironde region.
Police stopped the suspect around 18:00 parked outside a private property that had been vacated due to the fires. Officers discovered the stolen bottles in his vehicle. The man, known to police and judicial authorities, was taken into custody. Police described the value of the stolen grands crus as significant.
The theft occurred amid mass evacuations triggered by a major wildfire that has burned through 42,000 hectares since Wednesday and forced 220,000 people from their homes. An additional 55,000 residents were ordered to evacuate overnight into Sunday.