Suspect Arrested After Series of Fires at Apartment Block

Suspect Arrested After Series of Fires at Apartment Block

Image: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Bad Bleiberg

 

Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a string of seven fires at a block of flats in Bad Bleiberg, in Austria’s southernmost province of Carinthia.

The 23-year-old man was arrested last week shortly after one of the fires broke out, although he denies any involvement, police said on Tuesday.

The fires, which began in September last year, started when a rubbish bin outside the building was set alight. On the same day, a car parked nearby was torched, with flames spreading to a nearby punch stand. A few days later, the building’s attic was set on fire, destroying the roof and forcing the evacuation of residents.

The incidents continued into this year. On August 21, another rubbish bin was set ablaze outside the property. Just three days after that, a fire caused major damage to parts of the basement. In another incident on October 29, the attic caught fire again, although this blaze died out on its own. Most recently, last Thursday, another basement fire broke out but was quickly brought under control. The suspect was arrested soon after.

Police estimate that the damage caused by the fires amounts to nearly €1 million.

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