Fire near high-voltage lines in Forez: it’s a criminal act
Le Progrès, November 2, 2023
On the night of Tuesday October 31 to Wednesday November 1, at around 4:50 a.m., some 30 firefighters responded to a 400 m2 industrial building on fire, at the Volvon RTE substation. According to information provided by the Sdis 42, the burning building contained electrical cabinets and batteries.
The operation was made delicate by the fact that the structure is located within the confines of an RTE relay station, where 225,000 and 63,000 volt high-voltage lines are installed to supply the entire Forez plain.
Once the operation had been completed and the site secured, with no impact on power distribution, the gendarmes were able to make initial observations. These opened the criminal trail for the investigators. Traces of an accelerant were found at the scene, confirming for the military the theory of arson. The investigation began and was entrusted to the Montbrison research brigade.
