GNR has detained a 42-year-old man on suspicion of a forest fire in the municipality of Seia, Guarda district, caused by an “unauthorized” fire that got out of control.
According to the GNR da Guarda Territorial Command, the man was arrested on Friday by the Nature and Environment Protection Service (SEPNA) in Gouveia.
“After the alarm sounded, SEPNA personnel immediately went to the site, where they discovered that the fire was the result of unauthorized arson that got out of control, resulting in a fire that consumed grasses and vines,” the GNR said in a statement.
Following the steps of the police, the suspect was found guilty and the facts were submitted to the Seiya Judicial Court.
The Territorial Command of the GNR da Guarda said that since the beginning of the year, “23 suspected forest fires have already been identified, three of whom were detained on the spot.”
GNR recalled in a note that arson and fires “are the main causes of fires in Portugal.”
“Campfires, burning of pits and fires are prohibited in the presence of a “very high” or “maximum” degree of fire danger in rural areas, depending on permission or prior notification at other times,” he warned.
To avoid accidents, GNR asks citizens to follow safety rules, always be accompanied and carry a mobile phone.