With the support of the Republican National Guard (GNR) of Castanheira de Pera and the Working Group for the Reduction of Ignitions of Central Litoral, the Central Directorate of the PJ detained a man strongly suspected of committing two crimes of forest fire in the parish of Campelos, in the municipality of Pedrógão Grande, this past weekend.
The first fire occurred on Saturday, around 12:30 PM, and was promptly tackled by the Volunteer Firefighters of Pedrógão Grande, in the district of Leiria, as stated in a PJ press release.
The following day, around 12:00 PM, the young man allegedly started another fire, which was also “quickly battled by the same unit in conjunction with the Firefighters of Castanheira de Pera” (district of Leiria).
“In both fires, the suspect used a direct flame, employing a lighter and targeting a large forest area composed of acacias, eucalyptus, and pines, which only did not reach severe proportions due to the swift and effective intervention of the firefighting units,” the press note added.
The detainee will be presented to the competent judicial authorities for judicial interrogation and the application of appropriate coercive measures.
