The Quimper prosecutor’s office has opened two investigations into the fires that have ravaged the Breton moor in the Monts d’Arrée (Finistère), one of which for “willful destruction by fire”, he announced this Wednesday in a press release. .
The first fire, the most important, started from the Saint-Michel de Brasparts mountain around 3:15 p.m. and “quickly spread over several hundred hectares of wasteland”, recalled Quimper prosecutor Carine Halley. A second fire was then “reported at 11:21 p.m. in the forest, at a place called Ploenez, in the town of Brennilis”.
Regarding the first fire, in Brasparts, the prosecution opened a criminal investigation “the voluntary origin of the facts (…) not being certain”. On the other hand, a criminal investigation was opened for the second fire, in Brennilis, on the counts of “crime of voluntary destruction by fire of wood, forest, moors, maquis or plantation which can create irreversible damage to the environment”.
The two fires started on Monday and now fixed at around 95% according to the Finistère prefecture, “are definitely of human origin” and “the criminal nature of the fire affecting the Brennilis site” (Finistère) is “manifest due to from the finding of two fire starts 30 m apart, ”said the magistrate.
No link established between the two fires
According to the findings of the gendarmerie’s criminal identity technicians, “these two fires certainly have a human origin” but “no link has been established to date between the two disasters”, underlined the prosecutor. “Anyone who has witnessed facts likely to be linked to these two fires is invited to contact the research brigade of the Châteaulin gendarmerie,” she added.
These two fires destroyed 1,725 ha of moors and woods, according to the latest report from the Finistère prefecture. “The progression of the fire is slowing down and the situation is still under control”, confirmed the prefecture on Twitter this Wednesday around 4 p.m.
“The reinforcement of a Dash water bomber plane was made available by the prefect of the Brittany region” and “three drops have been made” since Wednesday morning, she said. These drops “made it possible to fix a large part of the fire zone”, or about 95% of the disaster area, said the prefecture in a press release a little later. Some 280 firefighters and 60 fire-fighting vehicles were still on site, according to the same source.
During a press conference at the beginning of the evening in Brasparts, in the presence of the Secretary of State for the Sea Hervé Berville, the president of the departmental council, Maël de Calan, indicated that the firefighters were still on site this night in order to avoid any recovery. The Breton Secretary of State “welcomed” their work, as well as that of the gendarmes, while recognizing the need to improve the means, in particular air, of fighting fires.
Residents evacuated since Monday were allowed to return to their homes. Some 500 people had to be evacuated and accommodation centers had been set up in Sizun and Landivisiau.