19-year-old in custody

Three fires set to meet ex-boyfriend

The complete fire in a barn in Goldwörth was the culmination of a series of arson attacks at the beginning of May.

(Bild: TEAM FOTOKERSCHI / MARTIN SCHARINGER)

A 19-year-old firefighter is still in custody for allegedly setting three fires with a lighter in the upper Mühlviertel region within a few days. On July 26, she will have to answer for this in court. She claims that her motive was to meet her ex-boyfriend.

At the beginning of May, there was a fear of flames in the upper Mühlviertel. As reported, three dangerous fires were started within a few nights: First, piles of wood were torched in a floodplain area in Goldwörth, then a wooden barn burned down in the middle of the village square in Feldkirchen an der Donau, and finally the barn of a farm, also in Goldwörth, also fell victim to the flames. Investigators were quickly able to identify a 19-year-old female firefighter as a suspect: she is said to have started the three fires.

Motive seems clear
It now seems clear why the woman from Mühlviertel grabbed the lighter three times: "The reason given by the accused is that her ex-boyfriend is in the fire department. The intention was to meet him during the operation", says Florian Roitner from the Linz public prosecutor's office to the "Krone".

The reason given by the accused is that her ex-boyfriend is in the fire department. The intention was to meet him during the operation.

Florian Roitner, Sprecher der Staatsanwaltschaft Linz

"Were short-circuit reactions"
On July 26, the 19-year-old has to stand trial. She is charged with two counts of arson and, in the case of the piles of wood that caught fire, with serious damage to property. "The accused has confessed to the entire charge. She is remorseful and says it was a knee-jerk reaction," says Roitner.

If convicted, she faces up to ten years in prison. Three years ago, the 19-year-old already had to answer for a series of fires. At that time, the proceedings ended with a diversion.