There are no indications that the fire which destroyed most of the Portimão Retail Park was caused by arson.
It is currently thought that the inferno resulted due to plastic overheating, caused by DeBorla’s lighting system. This conclusion is the result of the investigation into the cause of the fire, carried out by Polícia Judiciária (PJ) (see also Algarve Resident on September 24).
In the preliminary report, still to be completed and sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the PJ rules out the cause of the fire as arson.
The investigation was undertaken by inspectors from the Crime Investigation Department of Portimão and technicians from the Laboratory of Forensic Science.
The fire reduced seven stores to ashes in Portimão with the investigation commencing nearly a week later.
The PJ investigators and technicians had to interrupt their work several times due to bad weather, but have now concluded their investigation.
