A man in his twenties was indicted and imprisoned for starting a fire which left two dead at the end of November in Céret (Pyrénées-Orientales), the prosecution announced on Thursday.
Arrested on Tuesday and known to the courts for a traffic offence, the man is being prosecuted for “intentional destruction by dangerous means resulting in death”, said the Perpignan prosecutor, Jean-David Cavaillé, in a press release.
Six people escaped unharmed from this apartment building in downtown Céret, but two men died in the fire which broke out "a little after midnight" on November 20, according to the Departmental Fire Department. fire and rescue (SDIS) of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
Dozens of firefighters on scene
The two victims, aged around 30 and 50, died in separate accommodations.
Investigations “are continuing,” added the prosecution on Thursday, specifying that the suspect faces the sentence of life imprisonment.
At the height of the intervention, 60 firefighters had to be mobilized in Céret, a small Catalan town of around 8,000 inhabitants.