A 31-year-old man has been arrested by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) on suspicion of setting a forest fire on July 31 in the municipality of Ferreira do Zêzere.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the PJ detailed that the fire was started using a direct flame (lighter) “in a wildland-urban interface, surrounded by residential and commercial complexes. It is an area with a vast forest cover, populated with maritime pine, oaks, eucalyptus, and scrub.”
A passing driver caught the suspect in the act, prompting the suspect to flee. The witness immediately alerted the fire department, resulting in minimal burned area.
According to the PJ, the investigation also suspects that the man now in custody “may have been responsible for other forest fires in the mentioned municipality, considering the spatial-temporal pattern and modus operandi.”
The motivation for the crime is unknown.
The detainee, a resident in the area surrounding the fires, will be presented to the competent judicial authority for the application of coercive measures.
