France police have arrested 48 people for allegedly starting forest fires during the summer, a spokeswoman told to the media on Friday, reports AFP.
Up to 10,000 French firefighters a day were mobilized this summer to fight fires which have ravaged more than 65,000 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
This was the largest number of firefighters deployed since the start of satellite data in 2006.
Among the detained 48 people, 12 have already been sentenced to two years in prison, while "more than a dozen" have been remanded in custody, said national gendarmerie spokeswoman Marie-Laure Pezant.
"We found young people, minors, retirees, mostly men," she said, adding that the suspects came from all backgrounds, even some were firefighters.
Pezant said, According to the National Forestry Office, nine out of 10 fires are of human origin and three out of 10 fires started on average are intentional.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
