UPDATE: Benahavis wildfire still active as 50 residents still evacuated and village told to stay indoors

A wildfire threatening Benahavis is still active on Monday morning, September 14, after crews spent the night trying to contain rapidly moving flames driven by strong easterly winds and steep terrain. As dawn arrives, the distant rumble of firefighting craft can be heard starting up again.

Around 50 residents of the Montemayor Alto urbanisation remained evacuated overnight, while people in Benahavis and surrounding areas were told to stay indoors, close doors and windows and follow instructions from emergency services.

The fire was declared on Sunday close to the Ermita del Rosario, near kilometre 5 of the A-7175 road into Benahavis from Marbella. Emergency services began receiving calls about smoke and flames at around 12.40pm.

212 emergency personnel deployed overnight

🔴 ACTUALIZAMOS #IFBenahavís, #Málaga | ACTIVO. Situación operativa 1

MEDIOS ESTA NOCHE:
👩‍🚒 212 bomberos forestales, 7 #BRICA, 6 #TOP, 2 #TEX, 2 #AAMM, 1 #EMIF
📡 1 #MOT, 1 #UMMT, 1 #USISEM
🩺 1 #UMIF
🚒 14 autobombas
🚜 3 bulldócer

📹 Imágenes de la tarde.#BuenasNoches🌜 pic.twitter.com/oULRwQaVPy

— EMA INFOCA (@Plan_INFOCA) September 13, 2026

The difficult conditions forced the Junta de Andalucia to activate the emergency phase of Plan Infoca, operational situation 1. According to the Junta, 212 personnel from the different emergency services worked through the night, supported by 26 specialist groups, 14 water tenders and three pieces of heavy machinery.

The overnight operation concentrated on protecting Benahavis and nearby residential areas while working to prevent the head of the fire from advancing. Crews also worked around the rear of the fire to prevent flare-ups.

The steep terrain and easterly winds, with gusts reaching 50km/h, have made the fire particularly difficult to tackle. The fire has been described by Infoca as spreading very quickly.

Residents told to stay inside

An ES-Alert warning was sent to mobile phones in Spanish and English on Sunday as flames approached the town. The main road between Marbella and Benahavis was temporarily closed to help emergency crews, although the A-7175 was reopened during the night. That allowed residents who had been away from the town when the road was closed to return home. They were still instructed to remain indoors.

The situation was different for the approximately 50 people evacuated from Montemayor Alto, who remained unable to return to their homes. No houses had been reported destroyed by the fire, although flames reached residential areas and some terraces and gates were scorched.

Incendio Benahavis, ahora mismo pic.twitter.com/Xqiamim7uY

— Joaquín García-Baquero (@ManuelG_B) September 13, 2026

Three people have been injured. One civilian suffered burns, a forest firefighter fractured his wrist in a fall and another person was treated after inhaling smoke.

How the Benahavis fire started

The cause of the fire has not been officially established. Emergency calls began shortly before 1pm on Sunday after smoke and flames were spotted close to the A-7175 near the Ermita del Rosario. The person who claims to have been one of the first to call emergency services speaks of a car in flames on the side of the road.

The combination of strong easterly winds and steep ground then helped the fire spread rapidly. At one point, more than 20 aircraft were involved in the firefighting operation, together with more than 200 forest firefighters and other emergency personnel. The fire also moved towards Monte Mayor, an area containing heavier undergrowth and fuel for the fire.

The incident comes only two months after a much larger wildfire in the Benahavis-Estepona area forced more than 2,000 people from their homes. That July fire was eventually brought under control after a major firefighting operation.

✈️🔥 #IFBenahavís : DOCE AERONAVES CONTRA LAS LLAMAS

Durante el incendio forestal declarado este domingo en Benahavís (Málaga), la red de antenas ADS-B de https://t.co/ymvJV8Xwge registró un total de doce aeronaves trabajando sobre el fuego: cuatro aviones de extinción, siete… pic.twitter.com/xC69MJq1Dv

— meteo365.es (@meteo365_es) September 13, 2026

What residents should do

Anyone close to the fire should stay indoors if instructed to do so, keeping doors and windows closed to reduce exposure to smoke. People should stay away from the fire area and avoid interfering with emergency crews or travelling along restricted roads.

Anyone seeing a new outbreak of fire should call 112 immediately. The latest instructions are being issued through 112 Andalucia and Plan Infoca, with the situation subject to change as firefighting operations continue.