In brief
The Madrid regional government says 60 forest firefighters, out of 2,100 in the region, engaged in a 'chantaje' (blackmail) tactic during a wildfire emergency, remaining in Las Rozas instead of their assigned bases, and will study legal measures against them.
Más Madrid spokesperson Manuela Bergerot accused the Ayuso government of persecuting firefighters, calling their actions 'miserable' given that the region is facing its worst-ever fire.
The wildfire emergency is at national-interest level (Situación Operativa 3), with over 6,000 professionals and volunteers deployed and thousands of residents evacuated.
Government stance
The Madrid regional government has denounced 60 forest firefighters for what it calls a "blackmail strategy" during an active wildfire emergency. In a statement on Friday, the executive of Isabel Díaz Ayuso said the group, representing less than 1% of the 6,000 professionals and volunteers in the regional firefighting plan, had abandoned their assigned bases and stayed at the Dirección General de Emergencias in Las Rozas, refusing to follow official coordination.
“The management of a large forest fire cannot become a tool of labour pressure or political attrition. In emergencies of this magnitude, improvisation and actions outside official coordination are unacceptable: resources must be mobilised from assigned stations and detachments, under command discipline, operational safety and full guarantee for those on the ground.”
The government argues that the firefighters, who number 60 out of 2,100 forest firefighters in the region, are aware of their destinations and procedures, unchanged for more than 25 years. Yet they remain absent from their operational bases despite having signed contracts and assignment records for the 2026 campaign.
The regional executive says it has held numerous talks with the group, offering economic improvements and proposals within the legal framework, and will now explore all administrative and legal avenues to investigate conduct that may have compromised public service or endangered people and natural heritage.
Firefighters' complaint
The firefighters had stated on social media that they were without vehicles at the emergency directorate and intended to travel "on their own" to the fires, citing a lack of orders and resources. The government insists that presenting this as a lack of means or a refusal to mobilise them is a distortion of reality that creates social alarm at a delicate moment.
Opposition reaction
The opposition party Más Madrid accused the Ayuso government of "persecuting" the firefighters. Spokesperson Manuela Bergerot, speaking from the advanced command post in Cenicientos, wrote that Madrid is facing its worst fire and the government chooses to target those who save lives.
“We are facing the worst fire we have lived through in Madrid and they choose to persecute those who save us from the flames. Miserable is an understatement.”
The dispute comes amid a national-interest emergency, with the firefighting deployment operating at Situation Level 3. The government stressed its full backing for all professionals working on the front line while thousands of residents remain evacuated.