The Civil Guard has arrested a man and is investigating a second person as presumed responsible for the forest fire declared in Burgohondo (Ávila), one of the most serious recorded this summer and which has forced the evacuation of thousands of neighbors after ravaging nearly 9,000 hectares.
The investigation, carried out by the Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) of Ávila, concludes that the origin of the fire was a spark caused by the use of heavy machinery during some work carried out in a forested area.
A spark caused the fire
The agents have determined the point of origin of the fire after the technical-ocular inspection carried out alongside the Forest Fire Investigation Brigade (BIIF) of the Junta de Castilla y León. At the site, they found evidence pointing to the use of heavy machinery as the trigger for the fire.
According to the Civil Guard, the work was being carried out during a period in which the Junta had decreed the prohibition of the use of machinery capable of generating fire or sparks in the mountains due to the extreme risk of fires.
Without authorization and without the mandatory measures
The investigation also indicates that the responsible parties lacked the necessary administrative authorization to carry out this work.
Furthermore, the machinery used did not comply with the regional order that requires having extinguishing means when there is a risk of generating sparks, a measure aimed at preventing this type of work from leading to forest fires.
The investigation remains open
The Civil Guard keeps the investigation open to clarify all the circumstances of the fire and determine the criminal responsibilities that may arise from events that have caused one of the largest forest fires of the summer in Castilla y León.