A 52-year-old man is being investigated, suspected of being behind four hill fires within the municipality of Polopos within the last three years.

The Guardia Civil nature-protection arm, Seprona, in collaboration with the investigation department of Infoca, have uncovered that the four fires are related because of the same modus operandi used to cause intentional fires up in the hills away from tracks, making access difficult, all within the same municipality.

The first fire was in the Barranco de Los Brevales in Polopos on the 28th of August, 2019, which consumed one hectare of mountain scrubland. The following August another fire wiped out 20 hectares in the Haza del Lino. Then on the 2nd of September 2021 two hectares of mountain scrubland were destroyed in the area known as Las Lomillas de Los Laeros.

The last of the four fires was on the 10th of February this year when 500 square metres of brush were consumed in the area of the Monte de las Casillas.

The investigation work carried out by Infoca experts indicated that the possible culprits are shepherds who burn the land to regenerate grazing areas.

(News: Polopos, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)