The forest fire declared this Thursday in the Madrid municipality of Lozoyuela has already burned more than 700 hectares and remains “very active,” not being “either contained or much less stabilized,” according to the Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, who explained this on Friday on Cadena SER. After a night of uninterrupted work, the regional Executive official pointed out that the southern flank remains the most compromised and expressed confidence that the deployment of ground and aerial resources will allow controlling the flames throughout the morning, before the wind picks up again.
Martín also confirmed that “everything points” to the man arrested on Thursday by the Civil Guard being responsible for starting the fire. According to him, the arrest was possible thanks to the alert from several neighbors, which allowed the agents to quickly locate and arrest the suspect after beginning their search. The investigation remains open to clarify the exact origin of the fire.
The flames keep about 2,000 people confined in Buitrago de Lozoya and in the hamlets of Cinco Villas and Manjirón, while the neighbors who were evacuated during Thursday have already been able to return to their homes. The Government delegate also warned that the affected area will likely increase, as the fire continued advancing during the night, and it will be the assessment made with the first reconnaissance flights that will allow updating the final count.
The evolution of the fire forced the Community of Madrid on Thursday afternoon to request the intervention of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), raise the operational level 2 of the Civil Protection Plan against Forest Fires (INFOMA), and send an Es-Alert message to the population’s mobile phones to order confinement. The fire also caused the preventive evacuation of several isolated homes and the San Lázaro urbanization, as well as the closure of exit 69 of the A-1 motorway and the M-126, M-127, and M-135 roads.
In the extinction efforts, 28 ground units and nine helicopters from the Firefighters and Forest Firefighters of the Community of Madrid are working, along with Forest Agents and UME personnel, incorporated into the operation at the request of the regional Government. The military unit initially deployed a section made up of between 30 and 40 personnel, in addition to heavy machinery, a device that can be expanded depending on the fire’s evolution. The teams work to stabilize and contain the flames, coordinated from the Advanced Command Post installed at the Lozoyuela Fire Station.
In Buitrago de Lozoya, the preventive evacuation of several isolated homes and the San Lázaro urbanization continues. Additionally, emergency services evacuated the urban center of Cinco Villas, while Manjirón remains on pre-alert for a possible evacuation depending on the fire’s evolution. The Buitrago City Council has enabled the municipal sports pavilion to accommodate those affected. Eighty minors aged between 12 and 13 and 14 adults evacuated from a camp located in Gandullas were transferred to these facilities, according to the Civil Guard.
Soldiers from #BIEM1 continue working on extinguishing #IFLozoyuela @ComunidadMadrid
— UME (@UMEgob) July 16, 2026
They carry out liquidation tasks on the right flank to secure the perimeter and prevent reactivations due to possible wind changes. 🚒🔥#ASEM112 pic.twitter.com/WX1LhOxdJj
After the arrest became known, the Minister of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior, Carlos Novillo, announced that the Community of Madrid has instructed the regional Attorney General’s Office to appear “as soon as possible” in the case as a popular accusation. “We want to exercise our right and protect the natural heritage that is being affected because of a person who caused a serious fire putting lives at risk,” he stated. The minister added that the regional Executive will exercise that accusation under the recently approved law by the Madrid Assembly and trusted that the alleged responsible person “will face the full weight of the law.”
The Es-Alert message recommends the population to stay inside their homes, keep doors and windows closed, avoid going outside, and follow exclusively the information disseminated by official channels. The activation of Operational Situation 2 of INFOMA is reserved for fires that are likely to seriously affect the population or non-forest property and allows the incorporation of extraordinary resources, such as the UME.
The fire has also caused power outages in several municipalities in the area and keeps several surrounding roads closed. In addition to exit 69 of the A-1 and the M-126, M-127, and M-135 roads, the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium has warned of possible delays on interurban bus lines 191, 191D, 191E, and 194A. Emergency services insist on asking the population to avoid traveling to the affected area and to follow official instructions at all times.
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