Because he is said to have started several fires in Middle Franconia, a 19-year-old firefighter is in custody. The man is suspected of being responsible for a series of arson attacks in Weisendorf (Erlangen-Höchstädt district) and the surrounding area since the beginning of the year, the police said on Monday. The damage is estimated at tens of thousands of euros.
The 19-year-old is therefore suspected of having set fires in the basement of a residential building, in ditches, on embankments and at the edges of the forest. As a result, about three hectares of a wheat field are said to have burned down.
In addition, the investigators assume that the man has directed waste oil into a pond to provoke a fire brigade. The 19-year-old, who according to a police spokesman was an active member of a volunteer fire brigade, is now being investigated for, among other things, attempted serious arson, arson in several cases and water pollution. The police are also investigating whether he could be responsible for other fires and environmental crimes in the region.