Man held on suspicion of sparking forest fire in Germany

A 36-year-old man was arrested in the eastern German state of Brandenburg for allegedly starting several fires in a nearby forest, reported dpa.

A witness had observed the man on Saturday, police reported on Sunday. He is suspected of having kindled fires in four places in a 500-metre radius.

As the fires were discovered quickly, emergency workers were able to extinguish the blazes before they were able to spread.

The search for the suspect, who is now being charged with arson, involved a helicopter.

Rothstein, the community where the man allegedly kindled the fires, is around 20 kilometres away from a large-scale forest fire that has been moving through southern Brandenburg for nearly a week.