the Draguignan public prosecutor's office requests new investigations

Three years after the death of two people during a fire in the Plaine des Maures in the Var, the Draguignan public prosecutor's office asked the two investigating judges in charge of the case to pursue further investigations.

Three years after the death of two people in the fire which ravaged more than 7,000 hectares in the heart of the Plaine des Maures (Var), the Draguignan public prosecutor's office asked the two investigating judges in charge of the case for new investigations , France Bleu Provence learned from sources close to the investigation on Monday December 16.

After the indictment of a man in his forties who admitted to having thrown a cigarette butt at the place where the fire broke out, the prosecution wishes to clarify certain gray areas in order to determine whether this gesture could have had less dramatic consequences.

The investigating judges thought they had made an exhaustive copy almost two years after the fatal fire, the public prosecutor wanted to go further by requesting additional investigations to verify whether everything had been implemented beforehand in terms of risk prevention fire.

The fire having started from the Sigues motorway area on the A57, the prosecution wants to understand what arrangements the Vinci motorway company had taken to maintain this rest area. Another question mark, the legal obligation to clear brush which had clearly not been respected in the hamlet of Val de Gilly – the very place where two people died – even though it is up to the mayor of the commune to do so. apply.

There are also questions about the evacuation order. Sdis indicates that it has formulated one. The mayor of Grimaud denies having received it. The illegal construction of the shed, and its lack of related procedure, also raises questions. In his defense, the elected official highlights the difficulty of controlling this type of construction in an area where many ruins are present. However, this construction had been rented out on platforms such as Abritel and Airbnb by its owner (who died in the fire) to a young woman (also a victim of this dramatic fire).

The two platforms should have made a declaration to the municipal services of the municipality concerned. If this has not been done, it is a failure of the platform. But in the opposite case, the municipal services could not ignore the presence of this rental. Contacted by France Bleu Provence, the Draguignan public prosecutor's office did not wish to comment.