Man aged 58 arrested for causing the serious Anoia fire and two other fires

BarcelonaOne of the most complicated moments of this year's fire season was last July 6, when the Generalitat Firefighters had to face a difficult scenario of simultaneity with two worrying fires in Carme, in Anoia, and in Sentmenat while they were still fighting the flames in La Bisbal d'Empordà. The Anoia fire burned more than 450 hectares of forest and agricultural land, affected businesses and homes, and required the confinement of seven nearby municipalities and the evacuation of a housing estate. Help was even requested from the Military Emergencies Unit (UME). This Thursday it has become known how the first spark of this fire was ignited, and it was not an accident.

The Mossos d'Esquadra and the Agents Rurals have arrested a 58-year-old man as the alleged perpetrator of this fire. The Agents Rurals were able to determine that the origin of the fire was on the shoulder of the BV-2131 road. There they found the semi-burned remains of cardboard fragments from a pack of beer cans. The investigation concludes that this cardboard would have been ignited by the already arrested man.

The investigation, however, went further. The police and the Agents Rurals detected that in the last two years there had been a series of fires in the same very close area. All these fires had been deliberately set – without any arrest being made – or had no known cause. From here, investigators collected statements from several people who had allegedly passed through the area shortly before and after the fire started. They also reviewed security camera images to determine which vehicles could be located at the scene.

Resident of Anoia and with no prior record

All these investigations have led to the identification of a man as the main suspect for having caused three forest fires. The latest was in Carme, but he has also been linked to another that originated on June 29 and a third that was registered in July 2024, all three in the same area. He is a 58-year-old man, a resident of Anoia, and had no prior record, according to police sources. The detainee was brought before the duty investigating court of Igualada on Tuesday, July 28. As the ARA has learned, he has been remanded in provisional prison.

Two weeks ago, the ARA gained access to data from the Rural Agents that classify fires that have occurred in Catalonia since 1986 by their causes. This data shows that 25% of fires, one in four, have been intentional. have been intentional.