He is alleged to have started several fires in the Zirra area, the mountain overlooking the village of Santa Maria La Palma. A 57-year-old man, a resident of the Sassari countryside, was arrested on Sunday following a long and complex investigation conducted by Forestry Corps officers. According to investigators, he is the alleged perpetrator of a series of fires that have affected the area in recent months.
Officers from the Alghero Forestry Station, supported by investigators from the NIPAF (Provincial Investigative Unit of Environmental and Forestry Police), closed the ring around the suspect. For months, the Forestry Corps analyzed the traces left by the fires, returning repeatedly to the affected areas in search of evidence that could help reconstruct their origin.
The investigations focused on how the fires were allegedly started, identifying recurring patterns that led investigators to suggest a single perpetrator. The work of gathering and analyzing the investigative evidence culminated in Sunday's operation and the arrest of the 57-year-old. The charges against him remain hypothetical for now, and will need to be evaluated in the subsequent phases of the proceedings, respecting the presumption of innocence.