Soldier threatens depot demolition
 |  A French soldier has barricaded himself inside an army depot. |
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PARIS, France (CNN) -- A French soldier angry about forced retirement barricaded himself inside an army explosives depot Sunday, threatening to blow up the building and forcing the evacuation of about 400 people in nearby villages, authorities said.
Negotiations are under way to resolve the situation, the local mayor, Dominique Dubois, said.
About 40 residents of Connantray-Vaurefroy, Normee and Lenharree were evacuated to a nearby gymnasium, said Jean-Luc Guillemoto, spokesman for the local authority in the Marne district. The others are staying with family or friends.
The villages are near Chalons-en-Champagne, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Paris.
The Associated Press, who named the soldier as Regis Le Tohic, reported the soldier was upset about being forced to leave the army.
A letter from Le Tohic that demanded his request for promotion be reconsidered was found outside the depot, the AP said.
Le Tohic, 46, works at the army depot, where he is a low-level military officer, according to Dubois.
Dubois said the soldier is familiar with explosives. The depot contains about 62 tons of anti-tank explosive hardware, but no one lives on the site. It was once a U.S. base, he said, but is now French.
