Three young volunteer firefighters from the Meuse admitted to being the source of several fires committed in the north of the department between April and December 2019, according to the Verdun prosecution.
The three suspects, aged about 20 and who worked in the Meuse, were arrested Monday after several months of investigation, said in a statement Guillaume Dupont, the prosecutor of the Republic of Verdun.
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Placed in police custody, they acknowledged having lit several fires in the Montmédy sector, in the north of the department, targeting farm buildings, uninhabited houses as well as a material storage warehouse, according to the magistrate. There were no casualties in the fires.
The three young firefighters recognized "from two to eleven facts according to the protagonists," said the prosecutor to AFP. Brought to the Verdun prosecution on Tuesday, they were released "under strict judicial control" awaiting trial on September 2 before the Verdun Criminal Court.
They will appear for destruction of property by fire, facts punishable by 10 years in prison and 150,000 euros fine, according to the prosecutor. They are also prohibited from exercising a professional or voluntary activity as firefighters, said Guillaume Dupont.
