The fire, which primarily affected wooded land within the PEIN El Montmell-Marmellar area, started on the afternoon of August 20. Joint investigations by the Mossos d'Esquadra and Agents Rurals have linked the origin of the flames to a vehicle found almost completely burned out in a wooded area near the forest track to El Castellot.
According to police sources, a witness reported seeing a vehicle with a single occupant driving at high speed on the forest track shortly before the fire began. This information was crucial in initiating the search for the driver and the vehicle, which was later found ablaze by emergency services.
Despite the car's condition, officers managed to identify its owner from the partially burned license plate. Shortly after, they located a man walking along the roadside near the fire zone, who possessed keys matching the burnt-out vehicle. The individual provided a contradictory account of events.
The man was taken to police facilities and later summoned to testify. The Agents Rurals provided "determining technical elements" that supported the police proceedings against the vehicle's owner, who was arrested as the alleged perpetrator of a serious negligent forest fire offense.
The fire destroyed 9.46 hectares, of which 8.29 hectares were wooded land (87.65% of the total) and 1.17 hectares were scrubland. The entire affected area is within the protected space of PEIN El Montmell-Marmellar.
