The forest fire in Lozoyuela, in the Sierra Norte of Madrid, remains in a stabilisation phase with no active flames. The Community has lifted the lockdown in Puentes Viejas and Buitrago, while monitoring continues in Cinco Villas.
The fire that has affected the municipality of Lozoyuela since Thursday has entered a stabilisation phase that allows for some optimism, although the authorities maintain the utmost caution. The Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Interior, Carlos Novillo, confirmed at 1:20 PM on Friday that there are no active flames and that lockdowns have been lifted in all affected localities.
This decision comes after the municipalities of Puentes Viejas and Buitrago del Lozoya remained under lockdown during the morning. Ultimately, the evolution of the fire has allowed residents to return to normalcy, although vigilance continues in Cinco Villas with no risk to the population.
A complex day with wind and high temperatures
Novillo warned that the coming hours will be “the worst” for firefighting teams, as an increase in wind with gusts of up to 40 kilometres per hour and high temperatures is expected. The minister indicated that the perimeter is “surrounded” in an effort to prevent the fire from advancing, but acknowledged that there are “smouldering stumps” that could lead to re-ignition.
The main risk is that the thermal inversion breaks, which would create “more suction from the fire” and could reignite the flames. For this reason, emergency services remain on alert to extinguish any hotspots that arise in areas where the fire has passed quickly without completely burning the vegetation.
770 hectares affected, no personal injuries
The provisional estimate of the burned area is 770 hectares, although the minister specified that this figure will be reduced because the fire has been “very quick” and has mainly affected dry grass and areas under the pine forest. No injuries to people or damage to property have been reported, and the fire has not reached any protected areas.
Firefighting efforts involve 160 personnel from the Community of Madrid and 23 from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), with 28 ground vehicles and two aerial units. Novillo highlighted the “exceptional work” of the machinery during the night to cool the ground and prevent the fire from reactivating at noon.
A 52-year-old man arrested as the suspected perpetrator
The Community of Madrid has already positioned itself as a popular accusation against the detained 52-year-old who allegedly caused the fire. “Now it will be up to the judge to take appropriate measures to prevent this person from committing such an act again,” said Novillo.
The fire originated in an area called Relaños, next to the National 1 road, where there are remains of an old settlement and abundant dry grass. The mayor of Lozoyuela, Lucía Balseiro, explained that the terrain, with dry grass from the summer, caused the flames to spread rapidly. The two residents who were evacuated last night were able to return to their homes around 1 AM.
The Community urges the public to remain vigilant for a possible change in the situation in the next 12 hours, although the current scenario is favourable. Meanwhile, firefighting teams continue to work to consolidate the perimeter and prevent any re-ignition.
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