Panic as Istan blaze forces families to be evacuated

A FOREST fire that broke out on Sunday afternoon (May 11) near Istan, behind Marbella, forced 15 families to be evacuated from their country homes.
Emergency services raised the alarm at approximately 4.45pm after receiving calls to report the fire, in the Los Jarales area just a few kilometres from the village, and emergency teams including four Infoca helicopters and almost 70 people were sent out to fight the flames.
Although there were moments of panic as the wind pushed the fire towards homes, nobody was injured and the blaze was declared under control, allowing families to return home in the evening as teams continued to work in the area.
The Guardia Civil and Infoca took aerial shots of the area and will be carrying out an investigation as to how the fire started.