The alleged perpetrator of two fires in Seia, specifically the one brought under control this Sunday, reportedly ignited the blaze due to a “dispute” with a neighbor.
In a statement sent to newsrooms, the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) stated that “the fires were allegedly set using a direct flame, in the context of a reported dispute between the suspect and a neighbor, one near a residential house and the other in spontaneous vegetation formations, in a location conducive to its spread, not only because of the continuity of the vegetation but also due to the terrain’s orography.”
Additionally, before starting the fires, the suspect had allegedly “sawn a large quantity of logs and piled them in the areas where he started the said fires”.
The alert was raised by the neighbor himself via the national emergency line, prompting the GNR of Seia to travel to the location to perform the “initial event assessment, identifying witnesses who pointed to the man as the alleged author.”
The suspect was found by the authorities “with burns and minor injuries, identified by the said officers and taken to the Seia Post”.
The 49-year-old man was formally detained on Saturday, and at that time, the PJ already suspected a deliberate crime might be involved.
The suspect accused of starting the fire ravaging since this morning in the municipality of Seia, district of Guarda, is detained at the GNR Territorial Post of Seia, according to a source from the corporation.
Lusa | 18:18 – 06/09/2025
The alleged arsonist will appear for an initial judicial hearing for the imposition of preventive measures. The investigation is led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Guarda.
In the statement, the PJ also noted that the fire “occurred during a period heavily marked by forest fires in the same district and weather conditions favorable to its spread, with strong winds having unpredictable rotations when the fire risk was at its maximum”, according to the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA).
According to data from the Instituto de Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, by 4:50 PM on Saturday, more than 1,890 hectares within a 36.84-kilometer perimeter had burned.
The fire in Seia was declared under control around 5:00 AM, according to a spokesperson for the sub-regional command of Beiras and Serra da Estrela of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC).
The same source emphasized that the fire was controlled “thanks to the work of the firefighters and field operatives,” but admitted that the arrival of rain aided in combating the flames.
By around 11:00 PM on Saturday, the same sub-regional command had already informed Lusa that the battle against the fire was “progressing favorably” because “the resources engaged were managing to curb the existing fire fronts.”
Firefighters managed to control, in the early hours, the fire that began on Saturday morning in Sandomil, Seia municipality, according to a civil protection source.
Lusa | 06:12 – 07/09/2025
