Fireman admits to starting fires

DRAGUIGNAN, France - A fireman, a favourite of journalists reporting on forest fires in southern France, admitted to starting seven of them on Thursday, a fire brigade source said.

Police found incriminating evidence at the home of the fireman, whom they had suspected for some time, the source said.

The fireman, who regularly talked to journalists about the fires in the Var region, will be detained pending investigation.

Investigators will look into whether he might have been responsible for more of the fires.

- REUTERS