By Ben Sills
The Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2006 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
Spanish police arrested 19 people today suspected of deliberately setting forest fires in the northwestern region of Galicia, the Interior Ministry said.
Police investigations suggested organized gangs may be behind the fires, said a ministry spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified. Detainees include two firefighters and a woman, 73, who has been linked to 31 fires in the past three years.
Several fires started from more than one place at the same time, suggesting groups of people were acting together; arrests weren’t confined to farmers who have traditionally been the main culprits, the spokeswoman said. She declined to speculate on the motive.
Three-quarters of forest fires started deliberately in Spain were caused by farmers burning waste or clearing land for pasture, according to a faxed statement from the Environment Ministry. Such practices traditionally were used by farmers, and many continue them in defiance of a law that requires an official permit, the Interior Ministry spokeswoman said.