Benahavis/Estepona wildfire contained: Nearly 1,800 residents are able to return home

After the fire that broke out in Estepona-Benahavis on Thursday, 7th July, almost 1,800 of the 2,000 people who were evacuated are now back at their homes. The emergency services confirmed that the fire does not have any active fronts or flames. Crews are concentrating their efforts on perimeter security, and cooling hotspots.

Updates on evacuations in affected areas

Residents from Los Flamingos, Parque Botanico (687 people) and Four Seasons Complex (96 occupants), have returned to the places where they lived. 257 people are still displaced due to preventive measures, including 132 residents of Marbella Hill and 125 residents of Caserias del Esperonal. Montemayor has 370 residents under confinement orders.

Support services for the affected

Benahavis council opened up the local sports center to house temporarily displaced individuals. Cruz Roja installed around 50 beds. So far, only ten residents have used the facility because they mostly stayed with friends, family or nearby hotels.

#IFEstepona tomada minutos después de iniciado el incendio se ha propagado a gran velocidad. Nos han desalojado preventivamente de la zona de Parque Botánico. #IFBenahavis pic.twitter.com/vRvaMyhhra

— rikrdo (@rikrdo1979) July 9, 2026

Ongoing firefighting efforts

To secure the area, a coordinated team of 122 firefighters, 12 fire engines and a light helicopter continue their operations. The Malaga Provincial Fire Consortium deployed 23 firemen with 12 vehicles and eight additional standbys. Estepona fire station provided 10 firefighters and 5 vehicles. Others came from Fuengirola Marbella Mijas and Benalmadena.

Details on road and emergency response

After a closure of the AP-7 between kilometres 1054 and 1070 in Cadiz, traffic has been reopened. Patricia Navarro was the Junta de Andalucia delegate to Malaga and she monitored the developments at the advanced command station run by GREA in Llano de la Ermita.

#Bomberos de #Marbella llevan desde ayer a primera hora trabajando intensamente en el #IFBenahavís. Hoy seguimos! 💪💪 pic.twitter.com/QPSXnl3jyl

— Ricardo Martín ۞ (@RicardoBonela) July 10, 2026

Emergency services received nearly 300 calls regarding the incident. Initial alerts arrived around 4.30pm on Thursday. Reporting flames that started on the AP-7 Verge at Kilometer 1,068 and spread into trees near Montemayor.

The coordinators mobilized multiple agencies including the Infoca provincial center, Marbella crews and local police from Estepona, Benahavis and national police.

Antonio Sanz from the Junta de Andalucia in his capacity as Infoca director raised the alert at 5.30pm last Thursday due to the rapid spread of fire. This level is applied when standard resources cannot handle the fire and extra protection becomes essential for residents.