Wildfires

Wildfire in Axarquía village extinguished

The mayor of Macharaviaya explained that the flames stopped about 800 metres from the centre and that it was not been necessary to evacuate homes

Picture of the fire that broke out on Wednesday in Macharaviaya. (PLAN INFOCA)

27/08/2026 a las 14:43h.

Another wildfire in the Axarquía area of Malaga province: on Wednesday 26 August the Infoca firefighting plan deployed ground and air resources to tackle a ... fire that broke out in the Monte Benaque area, within the municipality of Macharaviaya. This wildfire occurred just one day after firefighters tackled a blaze in the Río de la Miel area in Nerja, within the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama natural park.

The Macharaviaya blaze started shortly after 3pm alongside the local road and spread to within some 800 metres of the main village centre, although the fire was brought under control without the need to evacuate any homes, as the mayor, Antonio Campos, explained to SUR.

The Infoca Plan declared the fire extinguished at 7.05pm. The team initially mobilised by Infoca consisted of two light helicopters, 14 forest firefighters and two Forest Fire Reinforcement Brigades (BRICA). They were joined by an operations technician and an environmental officer, according to a statement by the Andalusian forest fire service on its social media channels. Efforts focused on halting the spread of the flames and securing the perimeter around the village.

Campos told SUR that the fire was located “about 800 metres before reaching the village” and stressed that it was never necessary to order evacuations, as there are no rural homes in the immediate vicinity. The mayor subsequently confirmed that the flames had been brought under control: “It’s out now,” he told SUR, after the emergency services managed to halt the fire’s spread towards inhabited areas.

The fire broke out in the Monte Benaque area, 800 metres from the village; no evacuations were required, and two helicopters and 14 firefighters were deployed

Macharaviaya town hall issued a message reassuring residents now that the situation has been brought under control. The town hall has warned that smoke could still be seen in the area while work continues to fully secure the site and prevent any further outbreaks. The local authority has expressly thanked the provincial fire service and the forest fire brigade for their intervention, “for their swift action and their work from the very outset”.

A picture of the area affected by the fire in Macharaviaya. (SUR)

The two forest fires thus broke out just a few hours apart in different parts of the Axarquía, as August drew to a close and following weeks characterised by high temperatures and the risk of the flames spreading through wooded areas.