What caused the Sierra de Mijas fire?

In the Sierra de Mijas, a wildfire broke out on Thursday afternoon in Valtocado.

The fire started at around 4pm, approximately 500m from the popular restaurant Venta Los Condes. Local police on the scene believe that a brush-cutter accidentally lit the blaze during routine clearing of land.

Firefighting teams from Mijas arrived later, after the local police. Superpuma helicopters with firefighting teams aboard swept the area to inspect the fire. They then landed about 100 meters away on a small plateau to let out the crew. Meanwhile, another helicopter started lifting water from a lake in Alhaurín Golf to drop on the flames.

Guardia Civil temporarily blocked the road in order to prevent traffic from passing, but then allowed it to resume. There were 19 firefighters involved, two helicopter pilots were also present, and 2,500 litres were dumped on the site.

The first of its kind in the year, this alert highlights the need to be vigilant. While the ground might still be wet after the recent excessive rains, the risk of fire is extremely high.