The prosecutor of the Republic of Perpignan said that the criminal trail was favored by the investigators.
Le Monde with AFP
In the aftermath of the murderous fire in the Pyrenees-Orientales, the balance sheet breaks out. An eighth body was extracted, Tuesday, February 15, the rubble of one of the rejected buildings the day before by a fire in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque, was learned from the Prosecutor of the Republic of Perpignan, Jean-David Cavaillé.
After the discovery Monday of seven deaths, including two young children, the firefighters were looking for a 66-year-old woman, the last person missing as a result of the fire on the night of Sunday see you Monday. Tuesday, firefighters and gendarmes were busy Arago Street, the main artery of this small town of 10,000 inhabitants, where an explosion and fire devastated several two-storey buildings.
In questioned by the France-Presse agency (AFP), Mr. Cavaillé said that investigators deployed in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salan touched the accidental and criminal thesis. “We do not privilege any track,” said the magistrate. On France Bleu Roussillon , the Prosecutor, however, specified the possibly intentional appearance of this fire:” We have elements which let us think of a criminal track. ”
“The voluntary fire survey caused death only starts, it promises to be complex, all tracks are worked,” he said. “I’m waiting for the result of the technical investigations that will be able to provide us with the fire and IRCGN experts [Scientific Police of the Gendarmerie]. These elements will be very important to explain the incendiary mechanism,” added the prosecutor.
Gas cylinders found
On the three fires affected by the fire, two were inspected, while the third, unstable by the damage caused by the flames, threatens to collapse. Modeling buildings must be performed.
Gas cylinders were identified on the ground floor of one of the buildings, at the level of a grocery store, according to the prosecutor of the Republic, stating that it is impossible for the time to determine their membership and their role in this fire. The videos of video surveillance of the municipality are currently being studied by the investigators.
m. Cavaillé said that “identification [victims] would be made on Tuesday and Wednesday.” This will include verifying that a whole family, a couple and their two children are among the victims. In addition to the eight deaths and a serious, hospitalized injured after jumping from the second floor to escape the flames, about thirty people were injured or intoxicated by the smoke.