Man charged with causing fire in Aude

A man suspected of starting a minor fire in the Aude department on Monday has been charged and placed in pre-trial detention, the Narbonne public prosecutor's office announced on Thursday, July 31.

Nearly two fires covered 1 hectare and 1.5 hectares respectively in Bizanet in Aude and mobilized 250 firefighters.

The individual, who was arrested on Monday, was charged and remanded in custody for "destruction by fire" and "drunk driving as a repeat offender."

The man who fled the scene when he was arrested, "probably because he was also drunk at the wheel of a vehicle," has "absolutely no connection with the other fires that have occurred in the Aude department since the beginning of the summer," the prosecutor's office said. A judicial investigation has been opened to "determine the real reasons behind his actions."