Wildfires sweep Spain: Lozoyuela arsonist arrested, Orés fire threatens Luesia as 14,000 hectares burn

Lozoyuela fire stabilized, arsonist caught

A wildfire that broke out near Lozoyuela, Madrid, on Thursday afternoon was stabilized by Friday evening, allowing authorities to lower the emergency level and withdraw military support. The fire consumed approximately 770 hectares, though officials said many wooded areas within the perimeter remained unburned. No protected natural areas were affected. The A-1 motorway was cut northbound amid temperatures above 38°C, causing long tailbacks. Preventive confinements in Buitrago de Lozoya and the hamlets of Cincovillas and Manjirón were lifted once the flames were under control.

A 52-year-old Spanish man was arrested near the ignition point after residents reported suspicious behavior. He attempted to flee but was caught carrying a lighter. Police sources told El Mundo that the suspect had prior convictions for arson outside the Madrid region. Carlos Novillo, Madrid’s environment and interior councilor, said the situation was “optimistic but with great caution” and confirmed the regional government had offered assistance to neighboring Toledo and Guadalajara.

Orés fire threatens Luesia, 14,000 hectares burned

The forest fire that started Wednesday in Orés, in the Cinco Villas region of Zaragoza, remained active on Friday with an estimated 14,000 hectares affected. Five localities, Orés, Asín, Luesia, Malpica de Arba, and Uncastillo, remained evacuated, with around 700 people displaced. About 100 residents were sheltering in a sports center in Ejea de los Caballeros. Ten homes and a goat farm were destroyed in Asín, and the power line between Asín and Orés was cut.

Firefighting efforts focused on protecting Luesia, where flames advanced to within one kilometer of the town. Alfonso González, the technical director of extinction, described the situation as “very dangerous” and warned the fire could “still spread much further and become one of the largest in Aragon in recent years.” Authorities studied the possible evacuation of Biel and Fuencalderas, though no immediate order was given.

It was a very complicated night, but we managed to protect two of the points that worried us most: Uncastillo and Malpica de Arba. The fire has an enormous perimeter, so we continue working with great caution. The risk of spread remains very high and we cannot consider the entire perimeter consolidated.

Residents described the fire as more violent than a 2015 blaze that burned a similar area. Jesús Abadía Nivela, a farmer from Orés, said, “This one is more virulent, more serious, because it moves slower but destroys everything in its path.” Juan Ignacio García, a Luesia resident, said the town was “with our hearts in our fists” as flames approached.

La Mierla fire disrupts youth camp

A separate fire in the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara, declared Thursday, had burned over 2,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of ten population centers, including Umbralejo. The second session of a rural education camp scheduled for 19–25 July was suspended, and 47 students and seven monitors from the first session were relocated to Humanes. The education ministry said the students were safe and would return home Saturday as planned.

Response and outlook

More than 400 personnel, 30 aerial units, and over 300 soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) were deployed to the Orés fire. The UME section that had been assisting in Lozoyuela was redirected to Zaragoza after the Madrid fire stabilized. Firefighters hoped a forecast shift in wind direction to the north would aid containment overnight, but winds were expected to return from the southeast on Saturday, raising the risk of renewed spread.