23-year-old remanded in custody after suspected arson attacks in the Var

France – 28 July 2026: A 23-year-old man has been formally charged on suspicion of several deliberately set fires in the Var department. According to Franceinfo, he was brought before an investigating judge and subsequently remanded in custody. Prosecutors accuse him of deliberately causing vegetation or forest fires. The criminal investigation is ongoing.

The accused is to undergo a psychiatric assessment. This examination is intended to assess his state of health and his criminal responsibility at the time of the alleged acts. No conclusion about its outcome can be drawn from the ordered assessment. Remand in custody is also not a conviction; the presumption of innocence applies until a final judgment is issued.

Under French criminal law, intentional arson that endangers people or causes significant damage carries severe penalties. According to the available information, the man faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros. The verified information did not specify in detail which individual fire outbreaks are specifically attributed to him.

The case comes amid an exceptionally high wildfire risk in the Var. On 27 July, the prefecture announced that emergency services were still dealing with a fire incident in the department. Several major fires had previously been reported, including fires near Taradeau and Les Arcs and in the Gros Bessillon massif. Forest and open areas were affected there, and residents had to leave their homes temporarily.

Investigators must now determine whether, and to what extent, individual fires were deliberately caused. Evidence at the fire sites, witness statements, analyses of telephone and location data, and the sequence of individual alerts may all contribute to this. The formal charge means that, in the investigating judge’s assessment, there is substantial evidence against the man; the gathering of evidence is therefore not yet complete.

In France, remand in custody may be ordered to ensure an accused person’s presence in proceedings, prevent influence on witnesses or coordination with possible accomplices, and prevent further offences. The judicial authorities in each case decide on the further duration of detention and the progress of the investigation.

Particularly strict protective measures apply in forest areas of the Var during periods of heat, drought and wind. In light of the ongoing operations, authorities had temporarily restricted access to parts of the massif regions. The ongoing investigation remains of immediate importance for the affected fire sites and for the fire, police and gendarmerie forces deployed there.