Moroccan man arrested for setting fire in Upper Manzanares River Park near Madrid

Last week, the Spanish Civil Guard arrested a 48-year-old Moroccan man on suspicion of intentionally igniting a blaze that ravaged roughly 31 hectares of pastureland in the Upper Manzanares River Regional Park, near Colmenar Viejo, on the outskirts of Madrid.

The fire erupted on July 21 in a vegetated area next to the M-618 highway. This prompted the activation of the civil protection plan designed to combat forest fires and led to the closure of traffic between kilometers 9 and 11 of the road in both directions.

According to Civil Guard sources cited by «Europa Press», the Nature Protection Unit in Madrid spearheaded the investigation. A search dog detected accelerants at the fire's origin, confirming the fire was set deliberately.

The investigation culminated in identifying and arresting the suspect, who now faces charges of intentionally setting a forest fire and has been handed over to the judicial authorities.