Granada metroplitan area counts 48 fires so far in July

On the A-92 near Santa Fe on Wednesday 15 July, flames engulfed several palm trees by the roadside and spread across the motorway. Drivers, stuck in the traffic jam, could see the fire advancing. These are three examples of an exhausting July for the emergency services, who have had to tackle a total of 48 fires in the city. Around twenty of these have started in four neighbouring districts: Albolote, Peligros, Jun and Pulianas, where it is still believded that an arsonist is responsible for the incidents.

IDEAL has accessed the records held by the Granada fire service and Infoca regarding fires reported from 1 July until Thursday 16 July. The aim is to break down the figures for those that have occurred in woodland, on open land and on public roads, excluding those originating in homes. In total, there are just under fifty.

Although official statistics on the area affected are not yet available, several dozen hectares have been burnt. The data from the four neighbouring districts are particularly striking. Residents of Jun, one of the worst-affected, have insisted over the last few days that they are certain an arsonist is behind the fires.

Given their proximity, they believe it could be the same person who carried out the incidents in the neighbouring areas. The Guardia Civil is continuing its investigation and has not provided any further updates on the progress of the enquiries. In response to questions from IDEAL, officers have said that one of the main theories they are working on is that the incidents were caused by one particular person, although no arrests have been made so far.

Over the last two weeks residents have been living in constant fear of the next fire and pray that it won’t break out near their homes. In fact, not a single day has gone by since 1 July without a fire being reported in the city. As for the time of day, an analysis of the list shows that the majority – around twenty – have occurred between 3pm and 9pm.

 Early morning 

During the morning, from 9am until 2pm and in the early hours of the morning, virtually the same number of fires were recorded, around 14. In the evening, from 9pm until midnight, there were three fires in the areas mentioned.

The district with the highest number of incidents of this kind has been Jun, with nine fires since the start of the month. They have occurred in the afternoon, in the evening and in the early hours of the morning. Furthermore, some of them have taken place at the same location, such as the San Jerónimo ravine, which has caught fire twice.

 Next to the shopping centre 

Two fires were recorded on the GR-30 road near Peligros, on 9 and 15 July. In Pulianas, one of the roundabouts leading to the Granaita shopping centre went up in flames on three separate occasions, on 1, 2 and 4 July. In Cúllar Vega, two fires broke out simultaneously less than a kilometre apart. This occurred on 9 July at 9pm.

Other fires have been detected in various towns in the Cinturón area, such as Gójar, La Zubia, Láchar, Ogíjares, Vegas del Genil and Santa Fe. In the latter town, there have been as many as five fires, most of them near the A-92, like the one that broke out on Wednesday. The wind caused the fire to spread to the other side of the motorway, leading to traffic jams in the direction of Malaga. It started in an industrial estate, behind the funeral parlour and apparently began in the rubbish bins and palm trees.

 Neighbours in lockdown 

Of all the fires that have been reported, the ones that caused the greatest alarm – due to their proximity to homes – were the three that broke out simultaneously in Jun last Monday. The Bartodano residential area was cordoned off for over an hour. Those who were caught outside were also unable to return to their homes. There were three separate fires: one at the entrance to the residential area, another in the middle and a third behind the last houses.

Another fire, which broke out on Tuesday on a piece of wasteland near the Juncaril industrial estate also caused concern. It forced the evacuation of several industrial units and led to the closure of the ring road in the direction of Motril for two hours. The fire also spread to the railway line, forcing a temporary suspension of rail services between Granada and Almeria cities, though it did not affect the high-speed AVE service.

The investigation into these incidents is being carried out by the Guardia Civil's nature protection service (Seprona) who are gathering evidence and identifying the point of origin of these fires, which is key to determining how they started. This will be crucial in confirming whether the fires were started deliberately and if so, in identifying the perpetrator. In this regard, the work of the Andalusian forest fire investigation brigade is also vital; this unit comprises specialist environmental officers responsible for drawing up the technical report.

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