The Judicial Police detained a 42-year-old man, resident in Solveira, in the municipality of Montalegre, on suspicion of having caused a forest fire in that locality on August 18. The arrest was carried out outside the crime scene by the Criminal Investigation Department of Vila Real, with the collaboration of the Working Group for the Reduction of Ignitions in the Northern Interior.
According to the investigation, there is strong evidence that the fire was started through direct flame, probably using a lighter. The flames consumed approximately six thousand square meters of herbaceous and shrubby vegetation, including brambles.
The rapid intervention of firefighters, supported by an aerial unit, allowed the fire's progression to be halted. The location of the fire represented a significant risk, as in the vicinity there were chestnut and oak groves and other tree and shrub species, as well as houses and agricultural structures.
The suspect will be brought before the competent judicial authority for initial judicial questioning, and coercive measures may be applied. The investigation continues under the direction of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Montalegre.
