The fire, which broke out on August 12 in Eure, destroyed 40 hectares of forest and 60 hectares of stubble and dry grass. It was caused by a traveling craftsman’s portable barbecue in the rotisserie business.
A 25-year-old man prosecuted for a fire caused by a portable barbecue in a forest in Eure was sentenced Thursday to four months in prison, suspended, we learned Friday from the public prosecutor of Evreux. The arsonist was found guilty of “involuntary destruction by fire of wood, forest, moor, maquis or plantation of others due to the manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or caution in the town of Ecaquelon (Eure) “, told AFP Rémi Coutin.
The fire, which broke out on August 12 in the Montfort forest at the level of the commune of Ecaquelon, destroyed “40 hectares of forest and 60 hectares of stubble and dry grass”, specified the Codis de Eure to AFP, adding that the fire was extinguished two days later, on August 14. Placed in police custody on August 31 and tried in immediate appearance, the defendant indicated that he had accidentally set fire to his portable barbecue, the man being a traveling craftsman in the rotisserie sector.
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Embers were thrown into the forest during the transport of his vehicle
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“The barbecue-type cooking device used by the defendant was badly extinguished. Embers were thrown into the forest during the transport of his vehicle, causing a fire to start,” the prosecutor told AFP. “Hearing on IC [intérêts civils] will take place on February 7, 2023 at 9 a.m., to establish the amount of civil compensation he will have to pay”, also indicated the prosecution. According to this same source, the damage was assessed at 293,755 euros by the National Forestry Office (NFB).