TOURS, (France), Dec 11 — A French volunteer fireman was sentenced to jail on Wednesday after being found guilty of lighting rather than putting out fires in his spare time.
The 25-year-old was accused of starting seven blazes in the forests of the Indre-et-Loire department between March 31 and July 12, with the last fire ravaging six hectares of woodland.
The court in Tours sentenced the farm worker to 24 months in prison with a 12-month probationary period.
While conceding that the man was behind several fires, his lawyer, Arthur Gauthier, insisted that his client’s involvement was “unintentional”, either through badly stubbed-out cigarette butts or inept use of his farm equipment.
Ahead of the verdict, the court ordered the flame-loving fireman to undergo a psychological examination, while the Indre-et-Loire fire and rescue brigade suspended the volunteer and brought the case against him.
The department’s 352 professional and 2,080 volunteer firefighters carried out more than 36,000 interventions in 2024, the rescue services said. — AFP
