France detains 263 suspects in wildfire arson cases

French law enforcement has detained 263 individuals suspected of deliberately starting forest fires since the blazes began, according to Le Parisien, which cites official government data, Report informs.

It was noted that 92 of those detained are minors.

The arrests come amid anomalous summer heatwaves across Europe, which have fueled widespread wildfires. In Spain and France, nearly 360,000 people have been evacuated.

The European Commission previously announced that the EU's civil protection mechanism had mobilized 13 aircraft, 4 helicopters, and hundreds of firefighters to help extinguish the fires.