Man, 53, arrested over Castellví de la Marca forest fire
The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested the alleged perpetrator of the fire on 12 August in Castellví de la Marca, which destroyed 9.46 hectares of the PEIN El Montmell-Marmellar.
Suspect in Castellví de la Marca fire arrested after burnt-out vehicle discovered
The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested a 53-year-old man as the alleged perpetrator of a forest fire caused by gross negligence, according to elpais.com. The fire broke out on 12 August in Castellví de la Marca (Barcelona), coinciding with the afternoon of the solar eclipse, and burned 9.46 hectares included in the Plan of Areas of Natural Interest (PEIN) El Montmell-Marmellar.
The investigation, carried out jointly by the Mossos and the Rural Agents service, determined that the detainee's vehicle was the source of the fire. The car was found completely burnt out in a wooded area next to the forest track leading to the Castellot area, where the fire started. The number plate was only partially burned, which allowed officers to identify the vehicle's owner.
The lead about the vehicle came thanks to a witness who alerted the rural agents: he had seen a car with a single occupant driving at high speed along a forest track towards Castellot just before the fire broke out. The agents went to the area and found a white vehicle in flames that matched the description provided by the witness.
Shortly after finding the car, the agents located a man walking along the verge of a road near the fire site. His account of events contained contradictions, so he was taken to police headquarters, where he was identified and summoned to give a statement to the investigators.
In parallel, the Rural Agents deployed personnel on the ground to determine the exact origin and cause of the fire. The conclusions of that ground investigation proved decisive in formalising the arrest of the man as the alleged person responsible for the fire caused by gross negligence.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)