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Hairdresser suspected of starting 17 fires in Charente-Maritime
The woman was arrested after a series of fires in several communes
Published
A 50-year-old woman is suspected of starting 17 fires in Charente-Maritime over the summer, according to the public prosecutor in Saintes.
The woman, a hairdresser who works from home and lives in the Saint-Porchaire area, was arrested on July 26 following an investigation into a series of fires.
The investigation had begun after firefighters from the Charente-Maritime departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS 17) reported a number of regular and suspicious outbreaks of fire in the Trizay area.
The Saintes research brigade then, supported by gendarmes and the PSIG (a specialised surveillance unit) carried out surveillance and observation operations, alongside checks on vehicles travelling the area.
The woman was ultimately arrested and subsequently confessed, acknowledging responsibility for 17 incidents, according to Johann Gojkovic-Lette, commander of the Charente-Maritime gendarmerie group.
She was then brought before the prosecutor and remanded in custody pending a psychiatric assessment and her appearance before the Saintes criminal court on September 11.
She faces 17 charges of “destruction by means dangerous to people”, relating to fires.
The alleged offences took place between June 26 and July 25 in the communes of La Vallée, Trizay and Sainte-Radegonde, according to the Saintes public prosecutor, Benjamin Alla.
The case unfolded during a devastating wildfire season for France. More than 90,000 hectares have burned across the country this summer, with authorities stepping up efforts to identify and prosecute those suspected of deliberately starting fires.
Around nine in 10 wildfires in France are linked to human activity, although not all are started deliberately. However, accidental causes can also lead to criminal prosecution.
The national wildfire season has also seen hundreds of arrests. Interior Ministry figures released in August showed that 474 people had been arrested in connection with wildfires, including 183 minors.
