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A plume of smoke rising from the Maro cliffs area, near Nerja, where the fire broke out.
Green campaigners blame authorities' lack of attention for Nerja wildfire
NERJA

Green campaigners blame authorities' lack of attention for Nerja wildfire

A Swedish woman was arrested on Monday over the blaze which destroyed four hectares of protected land

Eugenio Cabezas

Friday, 9 April 2021, 14:27

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Green campaigners and residents' associations have pointed the finger of blame at Nerja town hall and local landowners for damage caused to flora and fauna during last week's fire near the Maro watchtower and cliffs.

GENA-Ecologistas en Acción criticised lax law enforcement and failure to pay proper attention to the protected area, while residents' group Otro Maro es Posible (another Maro is possible) said that they were "not surprised" that a fire broke out as they say the area has been incorrectly used for holiday rentals, instead of agricultural land, for some time.

Woman arrested

GENA said that a "large amount of woodland" had been destroyed, which "cannot be simply replaced by a reforestation programme".

While the environmentalists recognised that the fire was "an accident caused by negligence" they have called on Nerja town hall and the owners of the land, the Larios group, to fully check on the "dangers" and "illegal activity" that have been allowed to happen in the area.

On Monday this week, Guardia Civil officers arrested a Swedish woman for allegedly being responsible for the wildfire which started last Thursday (1 April).

More than 60 specialist Infoca forest firefighters tackled the blaze that destroyed four hectares of pines and scrubland.

Local Police, Guardia Civil and Civil Protection volunteers also responded to the incident as well as regular firefighters.

The woman, who lives in a small rural house in the area, confessed to the police at the scene that she was burning the remains of some pruning on her land and that the flames spread "by accident".

As a result of the fire, at least five people had to be evacuated. Another group of five - including a child under 12 years old and a dog - had to be rescued by sea when they found themselves surrounded by flames in Carrizal cove. A Guardia Civil patrol boat, with the support of a Nerja Civil Protection jet ski, took them to safety.

Infoca has warned the public via its social media pages that "small bonfires, even in low risk periods, can have terrible consequences".

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