The criminal track is privileged after the fire of a center which was soon to welcome children and adolescents placed and positive for Covid-19 in Portiragnes (Hérault), said Thursday November 26 the prosecutor of Béziers.
The Hérault firefighters intervened around 11 pm Wednesday evening and had "
extinguished several residual foci on the ground floor using a water lance
".
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"
The track of the intentional fire is indeed privileged
", specified Raphaël Balland, adding that the investigation was carried out by the gendarmerie of Valras.
“
Several technical investigations are underway to try to identify the authors.
The fire was quickly contained and the damage is being assessed
”, continued the prosecutor.
In a press release, the president of the Hérault department Kléber Mesquida was indignant at the fire which struck the premises of the former Relais de la Vitarelle, a disused hotel-restaurant.
"
While the Security Commission had given its authorization to accommodate minor children entrusted to the Department, this unworthy criminal act is unspeakable
", writes the president of the department, in charge of child protection in the Hérault .
"
In a degraded health context, the urgency of welcoming children who have suffered abuse or living in a violent family context should not suffer from any controversy that could stir up hatred and incomprehension,
" he continues.
The mayor of Portiragnes Gwendoline Chaudoir (close to LREM) was notably opposed to the project.
"
Tackling a temporary center project whose mission is to allow our young children in care, positive for COVID 19, to benefit from accommodation in confinement in order to ensure the safety of all, that does not honor in any way the political leaders who wanted to feed fear and blow on the embers of the rejection of the other leading to such unacceptable acts
", tackle Kléber Mesquida, before appealing"
to the responsibility of each one
".