Car owner arrested over burnt-out vehicle in Castellví de la Marca forest fire
Mossos d'Esquadra arrested the vehicle owner found near the origin of the fire, which burned 9.46 hectares in Alt Penedès.
Car owner arrested in connection with Castellví de la Marca fire
Mossos d'Esquadra detained a 53-year-old man on 20 August as the alleged perpetrator of forest fire caused by gross negligence, according to lavanguardia.com. The detainee is the owner of a burnt-out vehicle found near the origin of the fire recorded in Castellví de la Marca (Alt Penedès).
The fire destroyed 9.46 hectares, of which 8.29—87.65% of the total—was wooded area, and 1.17 hectares was scrubland. The entire affected area is within the protected space of PEIN El Montmell-Marmellar, although the fire did not reach any Special Protection Natural Area.
Witness testimony guided the investigation
On the afternoon of 20 August, Mossos were alerted to the forest fire. During their deployment, a person informed officers that they had seen moments earlier a vehicle with a single occupant driving at high speed along a forest track towards Castellot.
Based on that testimony, Mossos and Agents Rurals began searching for the car and its driver as one of the main lines of investigation. Emergency services later located a white vehicle in flames near the forest track, which matched the description provided by the witness and was almost completely burnt out.
Partial registration plate and keys identified the suspect
Despite the state of the vehicle, officers managed to partially read the registration plate and identify its owner. Shortly afterwards they found a man walking along the roadside of a road near the fire zone.
During identification, Mossos checked that the man was carrying keys of the same make as the burnt-out car. The Catalan police also noted that the suspect gave an account with several contradictions.
The man was initially taken to police premises, where he was identified and summoned to give a statement to investigators.
Technical investigation by Agents Rurals
In parallel, Agents Rurals deployed several units to determine the exact point where the fire started and its causes. That investigation provided, according to Mossos, "decisive technical elements" to establish the origin of the fire and strengthen evidence against the vehicle owner.
With the results of both investigations, Mossos proceeded to formally arrest him as the alleged perpetrator of forest fire caused by gross negligence. He was subsequently placed at the disposal of the on-duty court in Vilafranca del Penedès.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)