Six people have been taken into custody over a series of wildfires that have scorched more than 2,000 hectares of the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris, including a volunteer firefighter who confessed to deliberately setting one of the blazes.
The firefighter admitted using a lighter and petrol to ignite branches, while a second suspect acknowledged accidentally starting a fire by discarding a cigarette. Both were born in 2007 and have no prior criminal record. The distinct fire starts occurred on Monday in Arbonne-la-Forêt and near the Faisanderie area. Two additional people were detained over a blaze that began Sunday near the A6 motorway, which destroyed roughly 1,600 hectares and forced the highway's precautionary closure.
A 46-year-old man suspected of attempting to start another fire was arrested Tuesday evening in a Fontainebleau car park, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to six as the investigation continues.