A farm worker has been given a suspended fifteen month sentence for having caused a forest fire in Soller in January last year.
This was in an area known as S'Illeta. Having pruned some olive branches, he built a bonfire, for which he didn't have permission. This was next to a wooded area on what was a windy day. He acknowledged in court that he had left the fire without checking that it was completely out. Sparks flew into a neighbouring farm and these led to a fire that affected just under one hectare of pines and wild olive trees. It took until nearly midnight for firefighters to fully extinguish the fire.
In sentencing him on Wednesday, account was taken of his having paid the Council of Mallorca 1,238 euros to cover the cost of extinguishing the fire. The owner of the neighbouring farm did not make a claim for compensation. The farm worker did not have a previous criminal record.