Wildfire burns 10 hectares of Collserola park near Barcelona, police detain suspect with two lighters

Fire breaks out on Collserola

A wildfire broke out on the afternoon of Friday, 14 August 2026, on the Sant Pere Màrtir mountain in the Collserola Natural Park, on the border between Barcelona and Esplugues de Llobregat. Emergency services received the first alert at 15:35 hours, with the fire originating near the Carretera de les Aigües. According to La Razón, the fire was declared around 15:40 in an area close to Avinguda Pearson in Barcelona. The blaze burned approximately 10 hectares of the natural park before being stabilized around 18:00 hours. A column of smoke was visible from several municipalities across the metropolitan area, and the 112 emergency service reported receiving close to 1,000 calls from alert citizens.

Emergency response and containment

Barcelona City Council activated its Municipal Action Plan (PAM) for Forest Fires in the emergency phase. Several roads were closed, including access to Collserola via the BV-1468, and residents of the Can Caralleu neighborhood in Barcelona were confined to their homes until 19:00 hours. The Esplugues town hall coordinated municipal resources, and the Local Police preventively evacuated the Espai Mireia and regulated access to Collserola. The fire reached the municipality of Esplugues, though its impact there was described as minimal, and no injuries were reported.

Firefighting resources included around 20 terrestrial crews split evenly between Bombers de Barcelona and Bombers de la Generalitat, plus aerial support. La Vanguardia reported 21 crews total, four of them aerial, while 20 Minutos and El Confidencial specified 10 terrestrial crews from each body plus a bombarder helicopter and a MAER helicopter from the Generalitat. Emergency teams continued checking and cooling the perimeter through the evening to prevent reactivation.

Arrest of a suspect

Within minutes of the first flames being detected, a Guàrdia Urbana patrol on routine round near Avinguda Pearson spotted a man behaving suspiciously and leaving the area quickly. Officers stopped him, identified him, and found two lighters among his belongings. Several witnesses who were in the same area before the fire started provided accounts to the patrol about what the suspect had been doing, which increased the indications against him. The man was detained and handed over to the Mossos d'Esquadra, who took charge of the investigation. The Agents Rurals are tasked with determining the causes of the fire.

Officials assess the operation

Joaquim Boigues, coordination chief of Bombers de la Generalitat, explained that the flames spread very rapidly and that the main difficulty for aerial means was the proximity of the Collserola antenna and the presence of high-voltage cables. He said the right flank was the "motor" of the fire, driven by the sea breeze (marinada), which complicated operations. Sebastià Massagué, chief of Bombers de Barcelona, said there was "a situation of risk" on Friday that had been communicated to residents, and praised the coordination between emergency services and the public. Eduard Sanz, mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat, confirmed the fire had affected his municipality and that municipal services had been activated.