80-year-old arrested in Alicante for setting forest fires in the Marina Alta area

The octogenarian arsonist set four fires near the Gorgos riverbed and in Alcalalí

Guardia Civil officers in Alicante have detained an 80-year-old man for lighting four fires on forest land and the arsonist will also be charged on four couof damages produced in agricultural and urban zones in the Marina Alta area of the province.

The fires were set on forest land in the area near the Gorgos riverbed and in the vicinity of Alcalalí: areas which are protected and classified as “Sites of Community Interest” (SCI) in the 2000 Natura Network.

The police were able to determine that the fires were started on purpose and recognized the similarity of the different fires in terms of the way and time they were set, as the man had been lighting the fires on his morning walk. Residents in the area collaborated with the police to identify the suspect, and the 80-year-old was later arrested.