The Judicial Police, through the Criminal Investigation Department of Aveiro, in collaboration with the Task Force for the Reduction of Ignitions in Rural Areas, arrested a 49-year-old man suspected of forest fire in the municipality of Águeda. The arrest was based on strong evidence of the practice of a forest fire crime that broke out in the early evening of September 7, in the locality of Serém de Cima.
The individual is also suspected of being the author of other ignitions that occurred during this year in the vicinity of the scene, all carried out using the same method of operation. The September 7 fire is believed to have been caused using direct flame and occurred in an area within a large forest patch.
There are several homes and other buildings in the vicinity of the location, and the fire avoided more serious proportions thanks to the immediate alert, which allowed for a rapid and effective fight against the flames.
According to the police authority, it was not possible to determine any rational motivation for the commission of the acts, with the investigation suggesting a possible pattern of alcoholism and a strong compulsivity to commit this type of crime, despite the suspect residing in the vicinity of the fire locations. The arrested person will be brought before the judicial authorities of the Aveiro district for initial judicial interrogation.
