Man arrested for forest fire in Vila Real

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A 55-year-old man was arrested this Tuesday for the crime of starting a forest fire using a lighter, in the Vila Marim area, municipality of Mesão Frio, announced the National Republican Guard.

The GNR of Vila Real said, in a statement, that following a report related to a forest fire, in the town of Vila Marim, in the Serra do Alvão, the military carried out police investigations that allowed the identification and interception of the suspect.

The guards determined that the fire had been caused by a direct flame, through the use of a lighter that was in the individual's possession.

The arrest took place at 2:00 am, at a time when a fire was already underway in the Serra do Alvão, which started at 8:46 pm in Quintelas, in an area close to Vila Marim, and which entered the resolution phase at 10:50 am this Tuesday.

The GNR said that the suspect was arrested and the lighter seized.

The detainee was charged and the facts were reported to the Vila Real Judicial Court .

The National Republican Guard stated that it remains vigilant in preventing and combating rural fires, actively contributing to the criminal accountability of those responsible and the protection of people, property, and natural heritage.

The Alvão mountain range, in Vila Real, was hit by a major fire between August 2nd and 13th that spread to Mondim de Basto and burned 6,000 hectares, around 1,500 of which were in the Alvão Natural Park (PNA).

In the municipality of Vila Real, the fire impacted seven parishes and 30 localities.