A far-right Vox mayor, investigated for the La Mierla fire after protesting against preventive measures

The Civil Guard is investigating the mayor of Robledillo de Mohernando, Rubén Marchamalo, from the far-right Vox party, for his possible connection to the origin of the La Mierla forest fire in Guadalajara. The initial investigations point to a cereal harvester with which the mayor was working when the flames began, according to sources close to the investigation.

Marchamalo had participated just one day earlier in a farmers' protest held in Molina de Aragón against the restrictions imposed during days with a higher risk of fire. The same preventive system questioned in that mobilization had declared the risk of spread in the La Mierla area as "very high."

The fire was detected this Thursday at 1:55 p.m. in an agricultural plot and quickly advanced towards forest land. Since then, it has burned more than 2,000 hectares, forced the evacuation of seven population centers, and reached the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara Natural Park, an area of high ecological value.

The investigation is still open and must specify the exact point of origin, the condition of the machinery, and compliance with all safety measures. Marchamalo's status as a person under investigation also does not imply that there is currently a conclusion about his criminal responsibility.

A harvester on a very high-risk day

Agricultural activity was permitted at the time the fire started. The Potential Forest Fire Propagation Index was at a "very high" level, identified with the color orange, and the harvester was working five minutes before the mandatory suspension period began.

The Castilla-La Mancha regulations establish that, with that level of risk, harvesting tasks must be interrupted between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., except when a tractor with an implement prepared to intervene is available.

Outside of that schedule, there are also conditions. Each machine must have an ABC-rated fire extinguisher, a water backpack of at least 15 liters, and a fire swatter. The farmer also needs to have submitted the corresponding responsible declaration. The Civil Guard and environmental agents will now verify whether all these requirements were fully met.

The first investigations also examine other farmers who worked in the area. The harvester linked to Marchamalo remained in the area where the fire started and investigators are taking statements from people who carried out agricultural work during those hours.

Vox defends the mayor and blames Page

Vox has immediately come out in defense of its mayor. The spokesman for the ultra formation in the Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha, Iván Sánchez, assures that Marchamalo "scrupulously complied with the law" and that he had all the necessary permits.

According to the party's version, the farmer was carrying a water tank, a hose, and an extinguisher. Sánchez has presented this action as an example of responsibility and maintains that the orange level did not require additional measures, although the regional regulation does establish specific conditions when the risk of spread is "very high."

Santiago Abascal's party has also chosen to transfer all political responsibility to the Executive of Emiliano García-Page. Vox accuses the regional government of "neglect and incompetence", denounces a supposed lack of cleaning of the mountains and speaks of a campaign to "criminalize rural people".

The Provincial Association of Farmers and Ranchers of Guadalajara, integrated into ASAJA, has also defended Marchamalo. Its president, Juan José Laso, states that "it was perfectly possible to harvest" and believes that the fire demonstrates that the Junta miscalculated the risk level.

The agrarian organization maintains that the index should have reached the extreme level, which would have prevented working with the harvester. It also blames previous restrictions for having delayed the harvest and left the cereal drier and more exposed to fire. The investigation must now separate the general criticisms of the system from the specific circumstances surrounding the start of the flames.

The Junta reminds that the index "is not a whim"

The Minister of Sustainable Development, Mercedes Gómez, has defended the preventive measures and has asked for prudence while the investigation progresses. "The IPP is not a whim", she responded to attacks against the system used to adapt agricultural activities to the daily risk of fire.

Gómez has recalled that the index seeks to protect the population, the farmers themselves, and natural heritage. "We cannot squander that wealth because some people believe they are above good and evil," he warned.

The sub-delegate of the Government in Guadalajara, Susana Cabellos, has also confirmed the identification of a "presumed responsible party" and has asked to let the Civil Guard work. Her intervention included a direct message against denialist discourses that question the restrictions adopted to protect the natural environment.

"Fires deserve a call for responsibility from society and from those climate change deniers who deny the measures of administrations to protect the environment," Cabellos stated.

The reproach fully reaches Vox. Abascal's party has for years called numerous environmental measures "climate fanaticism" and usually attributes large fires exclusively to forest management. In this case, one of its own mayors had participated in a protest against preventive limitations and is now part of the investigation into the origin of the fire.

Legal responsibility will depend on the evidence gathered by investigators. Politically, the episode once again places under scrutiny the far-right's offensive against measures designed precisely to reduce risk during days of heat, wind, and extremely dry vegetation.

Seven localities evacuated

The fire continues at operational level 2 and remains far from being controlled. The flames have forced the evacuation of La Mierla, Muriel, Umbralejo, Almiruete, Palancares, Semillas, and La Nava de Jadraque. About 260 people remain out of their homes, some of them hosted by relatives and others transferred to the pavilion set up by the Red Cross in Humanes.

Among those evacuated are 47 minors who were participating in a camp in Umbralejo. The operation is also working to protect homes and prevent the fire from reaching new inhabited areas.

Since the beginning of the emergency, 87 vehicles and 463 personnel have intervened, including resources from the Infocam Plan, the Ministry for Ecological Transition, and the Military Emergency Unit. Several roads remain closed or subject to restrictions, and access to affected areas is limited.

The wind, with gusts exceeding 40 kilometers per hour, the high temperature, and the complicated topography make the work difficult. The fire has reached the heart of the Sierra Norte Natural Park and is advancing through a wooded area with the capacity to fuel the flames for thousands more hectares.

Marchamalo continues to serve as mayor of Robledillo de Mohernando while investigations proceed. Vox maintains its staunch defense and directs its attacks against the regional government. At 1:55 PM on Thursday, a fire started next to a combine harvester, and it is now up to the Civil Guard to determine who was in charge and if all required obligations were met.