Lisbon: A 14-year-old boy in Portugal has confessed to deliberately setting several wildfires after struggling with poor school performance and social difficulties, authorities said Friday.
According to Polcia Judici¡ria, the boy admitted riding his scooter to forest areas and using matches to start fires in Seidµes, Ardego, and Arnozela. Investigators have noted that the boy may have acted out of "anger and frustration," but they have not ruled out the possibility that he was part of a group. "The minor may have acted out of anger and frustration, given his poor school performance and the obvious precariousness of his social relationships," the police stated.
The Braga Judicial Police, which led the investigation, has turned the case over to the Public Prosecutor's Office for referral to the Family and Children's Court. The investigation was launched after multiple blazes began in the same areas, raising suspicions of arson.
By August 20, at least 52 people had been arrested nationwide on suspicion of arson, most of them in the same month, according to data from Lusa news agency. Emergency services reported that as of Friday morning, 97 fires were still burning, although most are under control and in the process of being extinguished.
