France has suffered its worst wildfire damage since the Second World War this year, with more than 300,000 acres burned, prompting a wave of arrests as authorities try to establish blame. Although climate change and rising temperatures are seen as key underlying drivers, official records suggest nine in ten French wildfires are started by humans, and the government has faced criticism both for being underprepared for the blazes and, now, for pursuing an arrest campaign some consider excessive.

The interior ministry has confirmed 420 arrests, including 166 minors, for allegedly starting fires deliberately or accidentally. A 23-year-old man accused of deliberately lighting ten fires in five days in the Var region faces up to 15 years in prison and a €150,000 fine, while others have received swift jail sentences, including one man handed three years for igniting a small area of vegetation. Lawyers and the newspaper Le Monde have questioned whether some prosecutions, including jail terms reportedly given to a homeless man and a person with severe autism over cigarette butts, are proportionate, while a Bordeaux prosecutor has defended the tough stance given how easily fires can spread in current drought conditions.