The Guardia Civil in Ávila arrested a man who confessed to having intentionally started the forest fire that broke out between Cuevas del Valle and Mombeltrán on the 28th of July in which a firefighter lost his life.

His motive for starting the fire was over possible employment; he had previously worked a forest-fire agency and hoped to be called up to tackle this fire.

His arrest was announced on the 12th of August by the Prime Minister of the regional parliament in a press call and further details were added by a senior Guardia Civil officer.

After the fire had been put out, Seprona and experts from the Brigade for the Investigation of Forest Fires (BIIF) discovered clear signs of a deliberate act so a judicial investigation was launched. Suspicions soon fell on a man by the end of the month. He was questioned at the police station where he later confessed to having started the fire.

Consequently, he could also be charged with manslaughter.

The fire, which started in Cuevas del Valle area, consumed 2,200 hectares, before being declared as extinguished on the 1st of August.

(News: Cuevas del Valle, Avila, Castilla-Leon)

Keywords: Forest Fire, Arson, Firefighter, Death, Manslaughter

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