On Monday, the Guardia Civil arrested a 61-year-old former firefighter suspected of having deliberately started seven agricultural and forest fires in the municipality of Selva.
The seventh of these fires was in Caimari (part of Selva) on Monday. Selva police and the Guardia Civil were forced to evacuate occupants of a number of properties because of the proximity of the fire. The arrested man, identified as Francisco B., was seen by a drone's camera starting the fire in a finca and then leaving the scene on a motorcycle.
At the time of his arrest, he was drunk, while he had items such as lighters in his possession. He used to work for Ibanat, which is a Balearic government environment ministry agency. Tasks that Ibanat performs include fire protection and fighting fires.
Sources explain that the Guardia Civil had taken a statement from him as a witness to previous fires. He was under suspicion as he had alerted the emergency services to these fires.
In all instances, the fires were dealt with swiftly and caused only limited damage. But they generated considerable alarm, as it was evident that they were deliberate.