Fatal fire in Courchevel in 2019: the suspect arrested in Spain

The suspect in the fire in a building in Courchevel (Savoie) which caused the death of two seasonal workers in January 2019, on the run since the spring of 2021, was arrested on Wednesday in Malaga (Spain), we learned from judicial source.

"The surrender procedure

on a European arrest warrant is underway," Chambéry prosecutor Pierre-Yves Michau told AFP.

Aged in his twenties, this Algerian national, known to the police for acts related to drug trafficking, was arrested in March 2019. He had been indicted for "destruction by fire resulting in death" , “destruction by fire resulting in total incapacity for work for more than eight days” and “possession of a weapon”.

He was immediately placed in pre-trial detention, but was released by the investigating chamber of the Chambéry Court of Appeal in early April 2021, due to a procedural defect, then placed under judicial supervision.

Owner charged with 'involuntary manslaughter'

A well-known businessman in the resort, the owner of the building where the seasonal workers were housed had been indicted at the end of 2021 for "manslaughter", "involuntary injuries resulting in total incapacity for work for more than three months “, “involuntary injuries resulting in an ITT not exceeding three months” and “violation of the provisions of the local urban plan”.

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Courchevel fire: "It was not an abandoned building"

He had also been placed under the status of assisted witness for "non-compliance with the rules of maintenance and safety of residential buildings", and "accommodation of workers in non-compliant premises".

Two of the seasonal workers, a 32-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, died in the fire in this 1970s building on January 20, 2019, and around twenty others were injured.