A 31-year-old man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of committing an urban arson crime, which occurred late last Saturday, August 2, in the Ortigosa area of Leiria.
In a statement released to newsrooms on Friday, the Judiciary Police (PJ) explained that the suspect “set fire to two rooms” of his mother-in-law’s house, where he was living, “using a direct flame.”
Subsequently, the PJ’s Leiria Investigation Department determined that “the motive for the crime appears to be related to the departure from the property of the suspect’s wife and daughter, days earlier, against a pre-existing backdrop of domestic violence.”
The fire caused “almost total destruction” of the house, rendering it “uninhabitable.”
According to the authority, “given the proximity to residential clusters, the situation could have escalated further, had there not been a swift and effective intervention initially by neighbors and subsequently by firefighters.”
The detainee, who has no criminal record, will appear before the competent judicial authority for the application of coercive measures.
The Ortigosa Volunteer Firefighters were dispatched to the urban fire incident at 7:34 PM on August 2.
In a note, the brigade indicated that the firefighting efforts involved 17 personnel, supported by five vehicles.
