Three forestry staff questioned over deadly south-west France wildfire

Three forestry staff are being questioned in relation to last year’s devastating wildfire in the Aude department, which saw 16,000 hectares of land burned.

The agents, working for the Office national des forêts (ONF, national forestry office) are currently in police custody, reported media outlet La Dépêche.

“At this stage, it's a working hypothesis,” that the three were partially responsible for the blaze, said a source close to the investigation to the outlet.

The ONF confirmed that three of its staff had been taken in for questioning on June 2.

As the questioning relates to a live case, information regarding the potential charges and nature of the investigation is not yet available.

One dead, dozens injured in historic blaze

Investigations into the August 2025 wildfire have been ongoing for several months. 

Initially carried out by the Carcassonne public prosecutor, it was soon taken over by the environmental unit of the Montpellier Public Prosecutor’s Office, “in light of the nature of the facts and the extent of the damage suffered,” said the public prosecutor at the time.

The blaze was the biggest in over half a century in the area, leading to one death and at least 24 injuries, as well as destroying 36 properties.

Then-Prime Minister François Bayrou called it a “catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude.” 

Preliminary investigations soon after the blaze led officials to suspect that the fire had been started deliberately.

The blaze began around 10 metres from the roadside, meaning it was unlikely to have been caused by an accident on the road or a discarded cigarette, etc. 

Perpetrators would likely have needed to use a two-wheeled vehicle and follow a path made by wild boar to reach the origin spot, investigators said.

Around a third of all wildfires are deliberately started, according to firefighting officials, with up to 90% of all blazes being human in origin (including accidents).