15-Year-Old Held Over Fatal France Forest Fire

French authorities have detained a 15-year-old youth suspected of starting a forest fire that killed two firefighters, a source close to the investigation told AFP on Thursday.

The two firefighters were in a truck that became trapped by flames from a forest fire they were battling near Bordeaux airport in western France on July 21.

The source said the teenager had been formally placed under investigation and held in juvenile detention.

15-Year-Old Held Over Fatal France Forest Fire (News Central TV) — 15-Year-Old Held Over Fatal France Forest Fire. Credit: LBC.

The deaths, along with that of a volunteer firefighter battling another blaze in southeast France, angered French firefighter unions who say they do not have the proper resources to take on the many wildfires in the country this year.

Representatives of nine unions met Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on Thursday. They said the commitments he made were not enough and threatened industrial action in September.

With much of the country in the grip of a new heatwave, firefighters were again battling forest blazes across France on Thursday.

Author

Jimisayo Opanuga

Jimisayo Opanuga is a web writer in the Digital Department at News Central TV, where she covers African and international stories. Her reporting focuses on social issues, health, justice, and the environment, alongside general-interest news. She is passionate about telling stories that inform the public and give voice to underreported communities.