three men charged

Three men were indicted on Saturday as part of the investigation into the “arson” fire that killed eight people in February in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque (in the Pyrénées-Orientales). One of them has been remanded in custody.

A 27-year-old Algerian, injured during the fire and since hospitalized in Montpellier, is indicted for “deliberate destruction by fire resulting in death, injury and destruction” and has been placed under a warrant of detention, indicated the Perpignan prosecutor Jean-David Cavaillé. The two other men, a 43-year-old Tunisian, owner of a grocery store located on the ground floor of the burned-out block of buildings, as well as another 40-year-old Tunisian arrested on Friday, are indicted for “complicity in crimes and misdemeanors,” the prosecutor said.

The latter two were imprisoned on Saturday but the debates on their pre-trial detention were postponed until Tuesday, according to the prosecution.

Survey results expected early next week

Eight people, including a baby and a two-year-old child belonging to the same family, had died in the fire that occurred during the night of February 13 to 14 in this town of 10,000 inhabitants near Perpignan.

Was the fire caused by the explosion of gas cylinders that were in the street? Was it declared in a commercial premises on the ground floor or in one of the apartments? More than 30 tons of rubble were extracted from the three burned buildings for analysis.

The Perpignan prosecutor should present the results of the investigation at a conference earlier this week.