An 11-year-old Austrian boy is the chief suspect behind a series of fires which broke out on Tuesday evening and into the night in and around Periana.
He was caught by police and firefighters who were extinguishing the wildfires. According to mayor of Periana, Rafael Torrubia, the boy has been living in the Axarquía town for less than a month and has shown “problematic behaviour”at school.
The town’s fire station has only recently reopened, after a series of problems and a shortage of working vehicles had forced its closure, leading to concerns over safety over the summer months.
Emergency services were also called out to fires in Nerja and Colmenar on Tuesday.