The arrest, conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department of Leiria of the PJ, took place on Thursday.
“The fires, three occurring on May 29 and one on August 9, 2024, were ignited using a lighter and threatened the urban-forest interface of the city of Ourém, which includes residential clusters and nearby commercial complexes surrounded by a large forest area populated with maritime pines, oaks, eucalyptus, and shrubbery,” stated the PJ.
According to the PJ, the “burned area approximately covers two thousand square meters.”
“If there hadn’t been a rapid and effective intervention, the fires could have escalated significantly,” noted the PJ, adding that the investigation suspects the accused may be responsible for other forest fires in the same municipality in previous years, “considering the space-time pattern and ‘modus operandi.'”
A source from the Leiria PJ told the Lusa agency that the accused, “single and without family support, lives in abandoned houses or with people who shelter him,” and works “odd jobs in construction.”
The motivations for the fires, occurring between 9:00 PM and 3:00 AM, remain undefined, according to the same source.
The detainee, without a criminal record and residing in the area, will be presented to the competent judicial authority for the possible application of coercive measures, added the PJ.
