Wildfires break out in Malaga

The province of Malaga faced its first major wildfire alert of the summer on Friday July 11, with three separate wildfires breaking out in Villanueva de la Concepción, Álora, and Casares, which kept emergency services on high alert into the early hours of Saturday. 

Only the Álora fire was brought under control by early morning, though full eradication of hot spots is still pending.

The first blaze ignited around 7.30pm in Villanueva de la Concepción’s El Paraíso area, where strong winds fed the flames across a landscape dense with dry bushes, long overgrown grass, and trees. Infoca wildfire services deployed ground crews and multiple aircraft to combat the fire. The planes were grounded at night due to poor vision. The smoke column was visible as far as Malaga. Despite being far away from populated areas the scattered farmhouses, as well as a nearby farm, were ready to be evacuated. Calls to emergency number 112 indicated that the fire had spread from stubble into forested areas, requiring a response from the local and national police as well as the Guardia Civil and Civil Protection departments, Infoca and the fire brigade.

Around 10pm, a second fire broke out in Álora’s El Aljibe area, which was thankfully reported by Infoca as under control by 1.10am. A third fire broke out in Casares at the Costa del Sol Waste Management Facility. The fire quickly spread through the facility. It moved toward an industrial area in Estepona. However, it hadn’t yet reached nearby properties. Social media was used by the town hall to urge residents to stay away from the area and keep up with official updates.

Crews continued their efforts on Saturday morning to extinguish these fires, despite the high winds and dense vegetation.