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FIRE

Arsonist strikes Brittany village for tenth time

A serial arsonist continues to plague a quaint seaside hamlet in Brittany, western France, despite extensive police attempts to snare the culprit. This week he struck for the tenth time.

Arsonist strikes Brittany village for tenth time
The port at Larmor-Baden in Brittany. Photo: Damien Boilley

Fire fighters were once again called into action in the besieged village of Larmor-Baden in Morbihan this week.

They have been kept busy in recent months as a serial arsonist has struck at will, burning down properties in the village of only 800 people.

Police attempts to catch the fire starter, including special night patrols and the unprecedented step of carrying DNA tests on 400 men, have so far led to nothing.

The latest blaze occurred on Wednesday evening around 10pm in a house that had recently been renovated and turned into a second home.

The series of arson attacks began back in December 2011 when three unoccupied homes were burnt down. A building next to the Post Office was also hit as well as the home of a local priest.

The arsonist has also destroyed holiday homes and a brasserie in recent months, among other targets, but so far the fires have not led to any fatalities.

Police are still working on the theory the arsonist is a male resident of the village.

In February public prosecutor Thierry Phelippeau announced that DNA tests would be carried out on all men in the village to see if they could match it with a DNA sample found in one of the burnt out buildings.

 “We feel the culprit is getting bolder in his choice of targets and I’m afraid that if these fires start up again, there will be a real risk to lives,” said Phelippeau at the time.

However, he said, “in the case of a refusal, that person will be of interest to investigators.”

With only around 10 people left to be tested only one person has refused to hand over a DNA sample.

A 39-year-old teacher, who has a home in the village, refused on the grounds it would be a breach of his “private life”.

The prosecutor said police would now start looking at other lines of inquiry.

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FIRE

Situation ‘unstable’ at Copenhagen’s old stock exchange after fire

Three days after a fire which ravaged Copenhagen's historic former stock exchange broke out, emergency services said Friday that the situation was "unstable" due to equipment issues and a strong breeze.

Situation 'unstable' at Copenhagen's old stock exchange after fire

In the morning, during work to dismantle the scaffolding surrounding the building, a crane’s cutters came loose for as of yet unknown reasons.

It is currently wedged between the scaffolding — put up for the renovation of the historic building that was ongoing — and what remains of the walls.

“It is affecting our efforts”, Tim Ole Simonsen, leader of the operation at the rescue services, told a press conference.

Coupled with the wind picking up, the incident, which has temporarily halted work on dismantling the scaffolding, has made the situation “unstable”.

“The wind is blowing harder and harder, and there are tarps over the scaffolding that can catch the wind,” Simonsen said.

He added that this increases the risks, in particular of further collapse of the burnt-out facade which started collapsing late Thursday afternoon.

Located close to the Christiansborg parliament and seat of government, the Borsen building was commissioned by King Christian IV and built between 1619 and 1640. It was the stock exchange until the 1970s.

The fire began Tuesday morning under the copper roof of the building, which was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary.

The cause of the blaze was unknown and Copenhagen police said Wednesday that a major investigation had been launched.

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