A man was arrested on suspicion of deliberately setting a bush fire this afternoon on Rua Cônego Doutor Jorge de Freitas, beside the slope of the New Cemetery in Caniço. The arrest was confirmed to DIÁRIO by Paulo Renato Baptista, coordinator of the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Santa Cruz. He said a contractor working for Santa Cruz Municipality was clearing vegetation as part of an ongoing programme to create firebreaks along the municipal road network and reduce wildfire risk. According to Baptista, the suspect approached the work site and, citing family conflicts, allegedly told workers that the land did not need to be cleared because it would catch fire. Moments later, he is said to have started the blaze, prompting workers from the contracting company to chase him across a nearby vacant plot. The workers restrained him until officers from the Public Security Police (PSP) arrived, after which he was arrested and is expected to be brought before the judicial authorities. Santa Cruz Municipality later confirmed on social media that a suspect had been detained in connection with the incident, while firefighting operations involved 31 personnel, seven fire engines, a heavy support machine and the Civil Protection’s H-35 helicopter.
