Arson Investigations in Galicia Highlight Coordinated Law Enforcement Response

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Overview of Fire Investigations in Galicia

The education court president in A Pobra de Trives, Ourense, has issued a ruling related to provisional prison terms for several detainees tied to a series of wildfires. The cases involve multiple individuals who were detained without bail as the legal process unfolds.

Sources from the Galician Supreme Court of Justice confirm that two of the detainees are under investigation for a total of ten wildfire charges. The incidents occurred in different municipalities within Ourense and Lugo, with a third person initially arrested and later investigated for a single fire. The second detainee is also implicated in the same set of fires.

Between August 18, 2021 and August 31, 2022, ten separate fires were recorded across several municipalities including Manzaneda, A Pobra de Trives, specifically in the San Xoán de Barrio and A Somoza neighbourhoods, as well as Chandrexa de Queixa in Ourense, Quiroga and Ribas de Sil in Lugo.

One of these fires escalated to burn about 1,500 hectares, primarily in Ribas de Sil. The blaze was significant enough to necessitate a state expansion due to its proximity to populated areas.

Officials from the Xunta de Galicia highlighted the pivotal role of the bushfire research unit, known as UIFO, in the arrests linked to the fires. The Civil Guard of Ourense led the operations, working in concert with UIFO and the Nature Conservation Service, Seprona, from the Lugo Civil Guard Command.

A joint surveillance operation focused on forested zones in Terra de Lemos in Lugo and Valdeorras-Trives in Ourense began in September 2020. This long-running effort helped identify a suspect connected to multiple arson incidents, starting with surveillance targeting a single individual in the autumn of that year.

As investigations continued, teams confirmed that there was a consistent pattern across several fires in Chandrexa de Queixa during August 2021, all pointing back to the same actor. Pursuit and analysis by UIFO and Civil Guard investigators revealed that the same individual participated in at least nine of the fires under review.

The coordinated effort across agencies demonstrates a sustained focus on preventing wildfires and identifying individuals responsible for setting blazes. The combined work of the UIFO, Seprona, and local law enforcement illustrates a robust approach to wildfire crime investigations in Galicia, with ongoing legal proceedings to determine accountability for the ten fires and related charges.

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