A man was arrested on Wednesday as a suspect in at least two cases of forest arson that took place on September 3 and 14 in the parish of Nossa Senhora das Misericórdias, within the Santarém district, according to a statement by the police.
“The suspect used solid combustible material with live flames to start the fires near his residence, in agricultural areas adjacent to a large forested area consisting of brush, eucalyptus, and pine trees,” explained the police.
The statement further noted that “the fires were always ignited near access roads, exclusively at night, and did not escalate due to timely alerts and rapid, effective intervention by firefighting resources.”
“Allegedly, the incidents were motivated by revenge in the context of disputes and disagreements among neighbors,” the police stated, adding that there is suspicion the man “may have also been responsible for other forest fires in Ourém this year, considering the space-time pattern and method of operation.”
The arrest was carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department of Leiria, with the collaboration of the National Republican Guard (GNR) of Tomar and the Working Group for the Reduction of Ignitions in Rural Areas – Central Coast, which includes members from the GNR, Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, and the police.
A police source informed the Lusa news agency that the man, who has no criminal record, used a plastic material to ignite the fires.
The detainee will be brought before the judicial authority for potential application of coercive measures.
