The respondent mentioned during his last hearing with the investigators “the throwing of an unextinguished cigarette in the entrance hall of the building” which would have caused the fire. The prosecution requests detention on remand.
The man arrested as part of the investigation following a fire that caused the death of three people, this Sunday in Grasse (Alpes-Maritimes), admitted to being at the origin of the fire “involuntarily“, indicated Tuesday the prosecutor of the Republic of Grasse.
The respondent mentioned during his last hearing with the investigators “the throw of an unextinguished cigarette in the entrance hall of the building“Which would have caused the fire, informs the public prosecutor, Damien Savarzeix, in a statement sent to France 3.
The man arrested had so far denied any involvement in the occurrence of the facts.
The public prosecutor further indicates that the psychiatric examination carried out on this man concludes “the full criminal responsibility of the person in question“.
The man was referred to the Grasse prosecutor’s office for the opening of a judicial investigation after the lifting of his police custody, informs the public prosecutor, who announces that he will request pre-trial detention.
The 47-year-old man, with no criminal record, was arrested and taken into custody on Sunday. The operation of CCTV cameras had revealed that he had left the scene of the fire two minutes before the detection of the start of the fire by the cameras.
The fire broke out on Sunday August 13 at 2:49 a.m. in the stairwell of a five-storey building located in the historic center of Grasse. Two women and a man died in the disaster and three people were seriously injured, including one living in a life-threatening emergency.
The deceased victims are still being identified, also informs the prosecutor in his press release.
The findings of the fire expert “lead to ruling out a claim of accidental origin, and to favoring the thesis of human intervention”said Monday the public prosecutor of Grasse.
