The fire declared on Thursday in the Madrid municipality of Lozoyuela has already burned more than 900 hectares and remains “very active.” Furthermore, it is still “unstabilized and not contained,” according to information provided by the Government delegate, Francisco Martín, in an interview on the Ser network.
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Firefighters have been working all night and the most compromised flank is the southern area, where it is hoped that with the large deployment of aerial and ground resources the area will be controlled. There are 28 ground units operational along with teams from Summa 112 and Erive. Throughout the morning, aerial units will join to control the flames before the wind picks up again in the afternoon.
The arsonist will be brought before the courts
The Government delegate, Francisco Martín, thanked citizen collaboration on Friday that allowed the alleged author of the fire in Lozoyuela, who has a record for causing other fires in other parts of Spain, to be arrested by the Civil Guard.
He stated this at a press conference at the Government Delegation, where he noted that the perimeter of burned hectares is already around 900, so he trusted that the full weight of the law would fall on the alleged perpetrator.
“Neighbors reported a suspicious person near where the fire had started,” so “a pursuit began” by the Civil Guard, which ended with his capture.
Martín indicated that, according to the first statements the detainee has been able to make, “they suggest he could be related to this matter,” in addition to the material that was seized from the backpack he was carrying.
The Government delegate confirmed that the detainee spent the night in the Civil Guard cells in Tres Cantos and commented that this afternoon he will be brought before the courts.
Martín has assured that “everything points” to the man arrested being the author of the acts and he remains in the Civil Guard facilities. The neighbors in the area alerted authorities and thanks to that the arrest could be made. The investigation remains open to clarify the exact origin of the fire.
Confinement and road closures
The flames have confined about 2,000 people in Buitrago de Lozoya and in the hamlets of Cinco Villas and Manjirón. The neighbors who were confined yesterday have gradually been able to return to their homes.
The magnitude of the fire led to the request yesterday afternoon for the intervention of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and the operational situation of the Civil Protection Plan was raised to level 2. Additionally, the Es-Alert message was sent to the mobile phones of the affected population to order confinement. This Friday, the M-126 and M-135 remain closed to traffic.
After the arrest of the possible perpetrator, the Community of Madrid will appear as a popular accuser in the case against the detainee by the Civil Guard accused of causing the fire in Lozoyuela, in the Sierra Norte of Madrid.
Suspected responsible arrested
The Minister of Environment and Interior of the Community of Madrid, Carlos Novillo, has assured that the region will appear in the case, after the Government delegate, Francisco Martín, confirmed that arrest by the Civil Guard. In this regard, the regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, highlighted that the recent law approved in the Madrid Assembly “enables us to defend ourselves against attacks on natural heritage.”
During yesterday, about ten aerial resources, 28 ground resources, eight command vehicles, and the drone unit worked in the area. Additionally, personnel from the Military Emergency Unit (UME).
Furthermore, it was necessary to confine the population of several localities and some roads in the area were closed. Firefighters from the Community of Madrid and Forest Firefighters continue working in the area to control and contain the fire.
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