The search for answers over the Collserola wildfire has taken a new turn since the police have detained a man accused of deliberately setting fire to rubbish containers less than two kilometres from where the blaze began. Investigators are now examining whether the two incidents are connected, but the evidence is not yet enough to say that the 46-year-old started the forest fire. He has been released after appearing in court and exercising his right to remain silent.

The man was detained by the Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona on the morning of Wednesday, August 26, after officers reportedly caught him burning several rubbish containers in Calle Palamós, in Nou Barris. Witnesses had pointed police towards the man, saying they had seen him deliberately setting the containers alight. The incident is being investigated as a damage offence, while his possible involvement in the much larger forest fire is being examined separately. 

The distance between the fires

Calle Palamós is around 1.6 kilometres from the point where the Collserola fire began, making the location one of the reasons investigators are examining a possible connection. The forest fire started near the carretera Alta de Roquetes and spread through vegetation in the Collserola area. The final affected area was updated to around 54 hectares, according to the Bombers de Barcelona and Barcelona authorities. The fire was declared controlled on Wednesday evening, although firefighters continued monitoring the area for remaining hotspots. 

The damage was concentrated mainly in woodland, scrub and other forest vegetation. The Collserola Natural Park said the fire affected more than 50 hectares of forest land, predominantly shrub-land, in an area that had already suffered a significant fire in 2016.  The latest figure is therefore considerably higher than the provisional estimates issued while the fire was still spreading. Initial reports put the affected area at around 25 hectares before the figure rose as the full extent of the damage became clearer. 

Evidence being examined

Investigators are also looking at evidence recovered from the point where the forest fire began. The Mossos d’Esquadra and Agents Rurals found a lighter and a cigarette butt at the site and are examining them as part of the investigation into the cause of the fire.

Investigators are also assessing whether there is any connection between those findings and the man detained over the container fires. That evidence has not yet established if the detainee actually started the wildfire.

Released after appearing before judge

The 46-year-old was brought before a Barcelona duty court on Thursday. He chose not to collaborate and was released. According to the latest reporting, he remains under investigation at the moment for the damage caused to the containers but the investigators must now establish whether the two incidents were connected or whether their proximity was coincidental.

That means examining the man’s movements, the timing of the container fires and the physical evidence recovered from the forest. Any link would need to be established through evidence rather than the fact that the two locations were relatively close together. The investigation therefore remains open, with the 54 hectares of damaged forest providing the scale of what authorities are trying to establish. The focus has shifted from simply determining how the fire started to whether investigators can connect its origin with a man already accused of deliberately starting other fires nearby.

Calling a government minister a ‘failure’ on camera isn’t exactly how most airlines usually try to keep their routes open. But Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has done exactly that this week, and Spain’s transport minister hit back just as hard.

‘Fracasado’: O’Leary’s video brands Puente a failure

Michael O’Leary, chief executive of the Ryanair Group, posted a video on Wednesday August 26 accusing Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente of getting his facts wrong about the airline’s shrinking presence at the country’s regional airports. In it, O’Leary said Ryanair is flying 648 aircraft this summer, 29 more than a year earlier, and expects to carry 216 million passengers in 2026, eight million more than the 208 million it carried in 2025. However, none of that extra growth, he said, is reaching regional Spain, where he accused Puente of presiding over high aviation taxes and uneconomic airport fees at empty airports. He pointed to Slovakia, Ireland, Sweden and regional Italy scrapping aviation taxes this year, and dismissed Puente’s claim that Spain already has among the lowest in Europe as false. 

He finished by saying he would send Puente a copy of “Basic Math for Dummies”, calling the minister “a dummy” who needs to learn to add, subtract and “maybe read”.

Puente hits back: ‘I know how to add perfectly’ 

Puente rejected the insult and turned O’Leary’s own figures back on him. He said the cuts stem from delayed deliveries of Boeing’s 737 MAX-8200 aircraft, which he said have “conditioned” Ryanair’s scheduling, since airlines plan routes six to 18 months ahead through the International Air Transport Association (IATA). He said Spanish airport fees are low enough that a Ryanair figure took home a €100 million bonus last year, according to reporting cited in his reply, and insisted he “knows how to add perfectly”.

Puente closed by telling O’Leary that if he dislikes Spain’s rules, he can fly elsewhere, echoing a line Ryanair’s own Spanish social media account once posted at customers in July 2025: “Dislike our rules? Walk to your destination.” 

Could the real cost be bases and routes disappearing across regional Spain?

Behind the insults sits a genuine dispute over money. AENA raised its 2026 airport charge by 6.62 per cent, taking the average fee to around €11.03 per passenger, and Ryanair blames that rise for the cuts it is now making. The airline has already closed bases at Santiago de Compostela, Valladolid, Jerez de la Frontera, Tenerife Norte and Vigo as part of its winter 2025-26 schedule, and a further 36 direct routes are being cancelled from regional and Canary Islands airports this year. 

Airports on the Peninsula are losing roughly 41 per cent of Ryanair’s seats, about 600,000 in total, while the Canary Islands lose closer to 10 per cent, or 400,000 seats. That capacity is being redirected to Morocco, Italy, Croatia and Albania, while Madrid, Barcelona, Palma and Málaga are all gaining flights instead. Ryanair has previously said it could reverse the cuts if fees at regional airports come down.

It’s not the first time O’Leary has picked a fight with a Spanish minister 

This is not the first Spanish minister O’Leary has had dealings with. In February 2025, Ryanair ran an advertising campaign dressing then-Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy as a clown and branding him a “mad communist” over the fines the government had imposed on low-cost airlines for charging extra for cabin baggage. Bustinduy said at the time he was “not offended”.

O’Leary isn’t scared to put on the gloves well beyond Spain too. He has clashed publicly with Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin over airport drinking limits, dismissed Ireland’s own parliament as “full of teachers”, and once challenged Elon Musk to an arm wrestle to settle a row over Starlink.

The Ryanair boss clearly knows how and when to stand up for his company, even if the medium is a little unorthodox for a CEO. For now, the routes are the tally that matters. While the war of words plays out online, five Spanish airports have already lost their Ryanair base, and Puente’s ministry has yet to signal any change to the fees behind it.

Residents across Axarquia and Costa Tropical are planning to gather at 8pm on Wednesday, September 2, Ceuta Day, in a civic show of support for the people of the Spanish city. Many will carry Spanish flags as a simple gesture of solidarity on Ceuta’s official day.

Confirmed local meeting points include Plaza España in Motril, Plaza de la Constitución in Almuñecar, and Plaza Al-Andalus in Rincon de la Victoria. Other towns are also expected to join the nationwide call for gatherings at town halls and central squares.

Peaceful gatherings planned across Spain

Organisers have stressed that the events are intended as peaceful, non-political expressions of support for Ceuta’s residents. Councils and local groups are calling for a family-friendly atmosphere, with people invited to attend simply to show their support.

Ceuta Day is the official day of the Spanish autonomous city and has traditionally been an important occasion for residents. This year’s gatherings are expected to bring together local families, Spanish residents and expats who want to demonstrate their connection with Ceuta and its people.

Participants are not expected to need to bring anything other than, for those who wish, a Spanish flag. The gatherings are designed to be straightforward civic events rather than demonstrations, with attendees meeting at 8pm at designated locations.

Traffic could be busier around town halls

Town-centre plazas and nearby streets are likely to be busier than usual from about 7.30pm. Drivers should expect slower traffic, temporary parking pressure and possible short delays around council buildings and central squares.

Anyone travelling through Motril, Almuñecar, Rincon de la Victoria or other coastal towns that evening should allow extra time for their journey. Parking a little further from the centre or using public transport where possible could also make getting around easier.

People who are not attending may prefer to avoid the immediate town-centre streets around the meeting points until after 8pm, particularly if they are making a short evening journey through the centre.

More towns could join the Ceuta Day call

Additional meeting points may be announced before Wednesday, September 2, as more municipalities and local groups decide to take part.

Residents should check their local council’s social media pages for the latest information, including any changes to meeting points, access arrangements or temporary traffic restrictions.

For those taking part, the message is intended to be a simple one: standing together with the people of Ceuta on their official day.