Covilhã || A 13-year-old boy has been identified as the arsonist behind devastating forest fires last year – one of which caused the death of a 41-year-old firefighter.
But as PJ police released the news, the boy’s mother refuted their allegations, telling reporters that she would put her “hand in the fire” to swear to her son’s innocence.
The youngster, now 14, is accused of starting at least seven forest fires in Covilhã last year. Fireman Pedro Rodrigues died in one of the blazes, in a deadly year for firefighters which saw a total of eight deaths in active service.
In an official statement, Guarda’s PJ police said they believe the boy started the fires as a way of “acting out his frustration over the recent death of his father”.
They also say the fires – set in a number of parishes – were a “vindictive act” against “two landowners that allegedly made verbal and sexual threats against the boy’s family”.
The youngster became a target of police investigations after agents noticed how much he liked to help firefighters called to put them out.
On one occasion, the teen is said to have called the fire station in the early hours (3.40am) to warn of a fire that had just started. He then proceeded to give officers details of how to get there, PJ agent José Monteiro told reporters.
According to Monteiro, the fires the young boy started ended up “killing one firefighter”, destroying “hundreds of hectares of forest” and causing “many hundred thousand euros of damage”.
But the child’s mother is adamant that criminal investigators are wrong. She told Correio da Manhã over the weekend that on almost all the occasions when he was meant to be setting fires, her son was either at school, with relatives, or with friends.
“When they discover the real criminals, I would like to see the look on the faces of the Polícia Judiciária,” she added.
According to Público, the youngster has already been flagged by the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People of Covilhã as a minor “at risk”, but as he is under the age of 16 the chances are that any criminal case against him will be archived.
Talking to Lusa, a PJ source said it was most likely the boy would be made the subject of a court order.
