A 41-year-old man is being investigated by Spain’s Guardia Civil over a string of deliberately started forest fires that sparked alarm among residents living near Alicante’s Serra Grossa.
The Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Service, SEPRONA, has linked the suspect to 24 alleged offences against public safety involving forest fires in the Serra Grossa–San Julián area. The investigation was carried out under Operation “JURAMENTO”, with support from environmental officers of the Generalitat Valenciana.
The alarm was first raised in early May 2025, when several fires broke out on the north-eastern slope of Serra Grossa, close to inhabited areas. The proximity of the flames to nearby homes caused serious concern among local residents.
Investigators soon suspected foul play. Early inquiries indicated that the fires had been started intentionally, allegedly through the direct application of flame and the use of accelerant material, increasing the danger that the blaze could spread rapidly.
As the incidents continued, officers set up surveillance in the area and worked alongside regional environmental agents to analyse the pattern of outbreaks. Their work revealed repeated similarities in the way the fires were started.
Between May and August 2025, investigators recorded 13 forest fires in the area. The activity then stopped during the summer, but in early 2026 new fire outbreaks appeared, showing the same characteristics as the earlier incidents.
After months of investigation, officers were able to identify the alleged perpetrator. Cooperation between the Guardia Civil and Alicante’s National Police proved crucial after the suspect was detained by the National Police in connection with other unrelated matters. Police alerted the SEPRONA patrol handling the wildfire investigation, allowing officers to formally investigate him over the 24 alleged forest-fire offences.
The case file has now been sent to the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office.
For further information, contact the Guardia Civil Alicante Peripheral Communication Office on 96 514 56 60, extension 0610012.
