According to our colleagues at Métropolitain, a 24-year-old volunteer firefighter with the Hérault SDIS, based at the Ceilhes-et-Rocozels fire and rescue station, admitted at the weekend to having started five fires at night, in the Hauts-Cantons region of Hérault and in southern Aveyron, at the end of March.
The young man from the Hérault region, a suspected arsonist, with no previous criminal record, has confessed to starting the fire, which completely destroyed the village hall in Ceilhes-et-Rocozel and four private vehicles – two in that village and two in the neighbouring villages of Joncels -Hérault- and Le Clapier, in southern Aveyron. Five deliberate acts in the space of a few days.
Suspended as a precautionary measure
Police officers from the Béziers unit, and in particular those from the criminal investigation squad, have established that these five incidents were deliberate. The investigation soon led to suspicion falling on this volunteer firefighter from the Hérault SDIS, who was arrested on Saturday and taken into police custody under the authority of the Public Prosecutor of Montpellier.
Approached by Metropolitan, SDIS 34 has stated that it has suspended the volunteer firefighter from Ceilhes-et-Rocozels as a precautionary measure. According to our information, he is not believed to have started this series of arson attacks in connection with his work as a volunteer firefighter.
> More information to follow