Fire engulfs rural Javea 

This morning, a significant fire was reported in a rural sector of Javea, leading to the evacuation of 25 homes.

Around 11:00 am on Saturday, April 12, a plume of smoke was spotted near the old Gata road, close to the cami Benimadrocs, which lies at the junction with the Gata de Gorgos and Jesus Pobre Highways, reportedly in the Ivy Ravine.

Emergency response activated

The alarm was triggered around 11:10 am, with a rapid response from multiple agencies. Teams from Denia Park and Benissa, Javea Civil Protection, Balcon al Mar Volunteers, and the Local Police were quick to arrive at the scene.

The Alicante Provincial Council’s Fire Consortium described the blaze as a fierce sugarcane and vegetation fire. Due to its intensity and spread across two fronts, aerial firefighting resources were called in to assist.

By 11:28 am, the Emergency Centre had escalated to situation 1 of the special Forest Fire Plan, highlighting the threat to nearby non-forestry assets.

As the fire expanded, by noon, it had impacted the Julians de Javea area, necessitating road closures between Javea and Gata de Gorgos. Authorities have urged the public to avoid these roads and seek alternative routes.

One eyewitness reported seeing a plume of black smoke from around 30 kilometres away. Another resident names Julie posted: ‘Oh dear – can smell the smoke in Jalon. Hope they can get the fire under control.’ Another person responded: ‘Can smell the burning here in Orba.’

By early afternoon, the arsenal against the fire included two helicopters and a seaplane. Yet, despite these efforts, the blaze reached the La Rana area of Gata de Gorgos around 3:30 pm, as confirmed by local Civil Protection.

Joanvi Valles, the Councillor for Citizen Security of Gata City Council, joined other local leaders at the Command Point to monitor the situation. At 4:30 pm, sources from Javea’s municipal office announced the evacuation of 70 people from approximately 25 homes.

The fire, initially sparked near the Javea cemetery, had travelled towards Gata until reaching the Rana area. Remarkably, the flames were halted before they could damage a centenary olive tree near the national highway.

However, later that afternoon, the fire reignited, spreading back towards Javea close to the ravine.

Currently emergency services remain on site, battling the blaze under challenging conditions. High temperatures and gusty winds continue to complicate firefighting efforts.