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UPDATE: Plan Infoca declares the Sierra de Mijas fire ‘stabilised’

By Matthew Roscoe • Updated: 27 Sep 2022 • 14:01

Initial investigations into Sierra de Mijas blaze suggest it was started intentionally

Image of Sierra de Mijas fire. Credit: Ben Euesden/Euro Weekly News

As of 7:30pm on Sunday, July 17, the Sierra de Mijas fire has been declared ‘stabilised’ by Plan Infoca.

UPDATE: Sunday, July 17 at 8:06pm

At 7:30pm this evening, Plan Infoca announced that the Sierra de Mijas fire had been declared stabilised. This means the blaze has been brought under control, after spreading into the neighbouring municipalities of Alhaurin el Grande and Alhaurin de la Torre.

Although it has been declared stabilised, that does not mean that the fire has been extinguished. There are no longer any active fronts burning and it can hopefully now soon be brought under total control. The only danger can be from strong winds reactivating any remaining hotspots.


UPDATE: Sunday, July 17 at 4:50am

Residents of Alhaurin Golf, urbanisation San Jorge, Ardalejos, and La Chichara, have been given the all-clear to return to their homes, according to 112 Emergencies Andalucia.

This decision was made late on the evening of Saturday, July 16, after a coordinated meeting held at the Advanced Command Post (PMA), where the progress of the fire was being evaluated. Antonio Sanz, the Deputy Minister of the Presidency of Andalucia made the announcement.

Earlier in the night, residents who had been evacuated from around 120 properties in the upper part of the La Paca urbanisation between the Ardalejos road and the A-404 in the Alhaurin el Grande area had also been allowed to go home.

It is hoped that all being well, the residents will soon be able to return home who have been evacuated from the Alhaurin el Grande areas of Ardalejo, Buenavista, San Jorge, La Chicharra, El Chorro, Pescadores, and Alhaurín Golf, a total of 1,341 buildings.

People living in another 306 properties in the Alhaurin de la Torre areas of Jarapalos, Comendador Alto and Pinos de Alhaurin, will also hope they can return home before long. They were evacuated on Saturday afternoon as a precaution, as reported by juntadeandalucia.es.

Both the Alhaurín el Grande pavilion and the El Limon sports centre in Alhaurin de la Torre remain open, where around 90 evacuated residents remain.

The fire is still at the level 1 alert, and Plan Infoca firefighters will once try to contain it throughout the night. Around 400 personnel tackled the blaze on Saturday.

UPDATE: Saturday, July 16 at 7:21pm

As reported this afternoon by 112 Emergencies Andalucia, residents of homes in Pescadores, in the Altaverde urbanisation, in Chorros, have been evacuated this afternoon as a preventative measure, with the fire spreading.

The A-387 which connects Alhaurin el Grande with Mijas has also now been closed off by the Guardia Civil between Km0 and 13, at 4:55pm. Drivers in the area are being urged to exercise extreme precaution due to the dust and smoke being generated by the blaze.

The A-404 remains closed from Km9 to 18 in La Fuensanta, Alhaurin el Grande, in both directions. According to reports from Plan Infoca, the fire has already covered a perimeter of 1,890 hectares.

UPDATE: 0:39 (July 16)

Antonio Sanz, the Deputy Minister of the Presidency for the Andalucian government has reported that around 300 firefighters will remain on the ground through the night continuing the battle to extinguish the fire that has been raging all day.

“The night is going to be intense”, he commented. During the hours of darkness, it is impossible for the aerial means to operate. That leaves the work purely to the ground forces, which will include around 200 Plan Infoca personnel, and 100 from the Provincial Consortium, according to malagahoy.es.

Of the approximately 2.300 people evacuated from their homes, all apart from about six or seven have relocated to homes of relatives. The Alhaurin el Grande municipal sports centre had been made available for the evacuees.

UPDATE: 6:38pm (July 15)

Residents of the Malaga municipality of Alhaurin el Grande have taken it upon themselves to help combat today’s blaze. Armed with chainsaws, they have proceeded to cut down pine trees which will form firebreaks in the areas of Ardalejos and Cara los Tajos, and hopefully slow the spread of the fire, according to malagahoy.es.

Casa del Guardamontes and the Fuente del Acebuche areas are already under threat by the rapid spread of this fire. People living in Buenavista and La Paca have already been evacuated. In total, 2,300 residents of Alhaurin el Grande and Alhaurin de la Torre have been evacuated since 1pm today, Friday, July 15.

As a result, the municipal sports centre in Alhaurin el Grande has been turned into a shelter for those escaping the blaze. The A-404 that connects Alhaurín el Grande with Alhaurin e la Torre is still closed off in both directions from Km 9 to 13.

UPDATE 4.26 pm (July 15) – “Alhaurin el Grande now being threatened by the fires,” Councillor Anderson wrote.

“The photograph clearly shows 3 separate fires on the Sierra de Mijas.”

He added: “I’m no expert, but 3 fires smack of arson. These people are criminals.”

Other Facebook users have shared videos of the blaze, which show fires in multiple different locations.

One Twitter user wrote: “Another fire in Malaga, Sierra de Mijas, is already being talked about in the press as once again intentional. Strong and changing wind, there are already hundreds of evictions and at the moment it’s as active as it gets… I shit on the sons of bitches who dedicate themselves to this, bastards!!!”

https://twitter.com/jorgegalanart/status/1547950183303942146?s=21&t=dLwOwCFe-BCi65ZpJpzSzw

It is unknown at this time whether they are linked.

An update from the Forest Fire Extinction Service of Andalucia said: “At the moment, more than a hundred professionals, 4 heavy firefighting vehicles and 15 aerial means are working on the area to stabilise it.”

UPDATE 2.44 pm (JULY 15) – At 1:25 pm on Friday, July 15, level 1 of the Emergency Plan for Forest Fires in Málaga was initiated due to the fire raging in the El Higuerón area of Mijas.

A huge forest fire is currently being tackled in the mountains of Andalucia’s Mijas.

Following the issue of a level 1 warning, Mijas town hall tweeted: “The Junta de Andalucía has activated level 1 of the Forest Fire Emergency Plan in Malaga.”

https://twitter.com/aytomijas/status/1547922931442888704?s=21&t=dLwOwCFe-BCi65ZpJpzSzw

A video from behind Costa del Sol’s Lauro golf club shows the true extent of the fire.

The Andalucian emergency services advised serious caution for residents in the area.

“The delegate of @MalagaJunta @carmen_casero has activated at 1:25 p.m. level 1 of the Emergency Plan for Forest Fires in #Málaga due to a fire declared in the El Higuerón area in #Mijas. Media acting in the area @Plan_INFOCA. A lot of caution.”

Videos taken from the hockey club in Benalmadena show the extent of the fire.

The A-404 road has now been closed to traffic from km 9 to km 13 in both directions at the height of Alhaurín El Grande Málaga due to the fire raging in the Sierra de Mijas.

ORIGINAL 12.54 pm (July 15) – Videos and photos have begun flooding social media showing a huge forest fire in the mountains of Costa del Sol’s Mijas that has broken out on Friday, July 15.

Users of Facebook and Twitter captured the moment a huge fire erupted in the mountains of Spain’s Mijas. According to early reports, the fire escalated rapidly.

Euro Weekly News has captured multiple pictures and videos of the blaze, which has spread quickly.

The Forest Fire Extinction Service of Andalucia tweeted that one coordination plane (ACOA-4), three helicopters (LA-7, MA-40, MA-41), one Super Puma (KA-70), three ground cargo planes (TA-2, TA-3 , TA-7), four BRICAS, four groups of forest fire brigades, two AAMMs and two regular fire engines have been deployed to the scene.

BREAKING: HUGE forest fire rages in the mountain of Andalucia's Mijas
BREAKING: HUGE forest fire rages in the mountains of Andalucia’s Mijas. Image: Ben Euesden/Euro Weekly News

“DECLARED #IFMijas , #Málaga , in Paraje “El Higuerón”. Resources deployed: 1 coordination plane (ACOA-4), 3 helicopters (LA-7, MA-40, MA-41), 1 Super Puma (KA-70), 3 ground cargo planes (TA-2, TA-3 , TA-7), 4 #BRICAS , 4 groups of #BomberosForestales , 2 #AAMM and 2 fire engines.”

Mijas Councillor Bill Anderson shared video footage of the fire and confirmed that fire crews and police are on their way to the scene.

 

“Horror in Mijas in just 10 minutes,” one person wrote on Twitter.

One person on Facebook said: “Here we go again, to the right of Mijas pueblo from Cerrado del Aguila.”

 Another person wrote: “Fire spreading fast behind Mijas.”

“Mijas pueblo on fire,” one person wrote.

 

Another Twitter user said: “@Plan_INFOCA possible fire in Sierra de Mijas? It is the image from Malaga capital.”

One photo from Twitter user MB_88_ shows the huge billowing smoke from Verdecora in Malaga.

https://twitter.com/mb_88_/status/1547902592004435970?s=21&t=dLwOwCFe-BCi65ZpJpzSzw

This is not the first fire to have broken out in Mijas recently.

In recent months, two raged in Marbella’s Mijas.

On Friday, July 1, a wildfire blaze occurred in the area of La Atalaya, Mijas, Malaga.

Prior to that, a big scrubland fire broke out on a mountain in the Malaga municipality of Mijas on Monday, June 27. In this instance, the flames spread rapidly due to strong winds.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and 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.

Comments

    • DJH

      16 July 2022 • 09:43

      Agree with the gentleman about faecal droppings etc. Caught, maybe court proceedings but definitely long prison sentence with no parole.

    Comments are closed.

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