Benalmadena Council carries out fire prevention work in high-risk areas

Benalmadena Council carries out fire prevention work in high-risk areas

Image of the fire prevention work being carried out in Benalmadean. Credit: Twitter@BenalmadenaAyto

The Council of the Malaga town of Benalmadena has started carrying out fire prevention work in areas most at risk.

Víctor Navas, the mayor of the Malaga town of Benalmadena, made a visit today, Friday, June 17, to inspect the fire prevention work that is being carried out in the part of the municipality near Avenida Arroyo Hondo.

He was accompanied by Javier Marin, his Councillor for Security, and David Bañasco, the Benalmadena Fire Chief.

“These actions have a preventive nature to avoid the risk of fires in the summer, and for this reason, these clearing and removal of vegetable fuels are carried out in all the interface areas”. the mayor explained.

He clarified, “We do it now, at the beginning of the summer, because if we were to develop it in winter and spring, all the weeds that were cleared would grow back”.

“This work, carried out from the public sphere, is complemented by that which must be carried out from the private sphere: the fire-fighting plans that urbanisations and urban conservation entities must develop”, he highlighted.

Mr Marin pointed out: “These prevention tasks are carried out in forest areas that border the urban area, and are carried out during the first weeks of the summer period. Maintenance work is currently being carried out in an eight-hectare area, with an investment of €50,000, and an execution period of one month, framed in the Council’s fire prevention plan”.

“Following the criteria of the Environment technicians, action is being taken in the areas where they have detected a greater risk of fires that could affect homes, and in spaces adjoining the mountain”, Marin detailed.

The councillor reminded residents with homes near forest areas that, preventively, they must keep a 15-metre perimeter clean of brush and weeds around their properties. They must also avoid having hurdles and fabrics on terraces that are not treated against the risk of fire.

Pedro Sanz, a technician from the Environment Area, explained that the actions “are part of a forest treatment project, in which a selection of municipal plots has been carried out in the area of ​​forest influence, between the public forest of Benalmadena and the urban Casse”.

“The work consists of clearing and cleaning, with the elimination of exotic and invasive species such as acacias. It has the aim of eliminating vegetable fuel, and for this, a company specialised in these forestry tasks has been hired, with prior authorization from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development”, detailed the technician.

This work started last Monday in Santangelo Norte, “an important part due to its proximity to the public forest of Benalmadena”, and now they have moved on to the Arroyo del Pantano path, which is frequented by the neighbours, with a clearing of three metres at each side. These perimeter strips, in the event of a fire outbreak, facilitate rapid intervention and extinction.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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