The Madrid regional government will join criminal proceedings as a popular prosecutor against a suspect arrested near the scene of Wednesday's wildfire in Lozoyuela, regional counsellor Carlos Novillo announced. The Civil Guard detained a person with prior records for similar offences who fled the area carrying suspicious materials, authorities said. Regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso noted that a law passed by the Madrid Assembly in April enables such legal action.
The blaze broke out around 16:00 local time on 16 July between the villages of Mangirón, Cinco Villas and Buitrago de Lozoya, prompting authorities to activate level 2 of the regional Infoma wildfire plan. Residents of Buitrago de Lozoya, Cinco Villas and Manjirón were ordered to shelter in place via an ES-Alert emergency notification, while the San Lázaro housing estate was evacuated.
Dozens of firefighting crews and aircraft, backed by forest rangers and military emergency troops, battled the flames. Road closures were imposed on the A-1 motorway and two regional highways, and local officials reported power outages.