Two latest Malaga province wildfires extinguished according to Infoca

Just 35 minutes after the alert in El Borge, Infoca reported that another wildfire had been declared in the province, this time in the Los Portales area of Casabermeja. The response team deployed two helicopters – one heavy and one medium-sized – two ground-based cargo aircraft, 40 ground crew and a fire engine to tackle the flames.

The operation was scaled up to include three helicopters — one heavy, one medium and one light —, four ground-based cargo aircraft, 66 ground personnel and three fire engines. At 5.50pm the fire was deemed to have stabilised and by 7pm it was under control.

At 11am on Wednesday 29 July it was also declared extinguished. Infoca has thanked the provincial firefighters’ consortium for its cooperation and Casabermeja town hall “for allowing us to use the municipal swimming pool for water”.

In El Borge and Cútar, the regional response team initially mobilised four aerial resources: one light helicopter, one heavy helicopter and two cargo aircraft on the ground. Thirty-two ground crew members joined the deployment to assist with fire-fighting and containment efforts.

The operation took place in an area of steep slopes, where access for ground crews is particularly difficult. The surrounding landscape alternates between traditional crops of the Axarquía – mainly vineyards, olive groves and almond orchards – and areas of scrubland.

The combination of agricultural and woodland vegetation, coupled with the rugged terrain, means that the operation had to rely heavily on aerial resources. As yet, the operation has not provided an estimate of the area affected or any information on the possible cause of the fire.

SUR has been able to confirm that, following consultation with the mayors of El Borge and Cútar, Raúl Vallejo and Francisco Ruiz respectively, no evacuations of homes or farms near the site of the fire were ordered.

The fire broke out just eleven days after the serious blaze in Árchez, which led to the precautionary evacuation of 162 residents from homes scattered across Árchez, Cómpeta and Canillas de Albaida. It was also necessary to restrict access to Cómpeta town centre for several hours, although no injuries were reported.

The province experienced another significant incident on Sunday 26 July at Cerro del Águila, in Colmenar, also in the Axarquía. The fire required the deployment of seven aerial resources before it was brought under control during the afternoon. That same day, another fire broke out in a mountainous area near the A-7 in Puerto de la Torre, which was brought under control shortly afterwards.

Added to these incidents are the fires that have been reported over the last few days and weeks in various parts of Vélez-Málaga. A joint operation by the Local Police and the National Police led to the arrest on Sunday of a man on suspicion of being linked to some of these fires. The investigation remains open and further action cannot be ruled out.

The peak-risk season is keeping the provincial fire service extremely busy. By mid-July, Infoca had carried out 54 operations in Malaga province, covering an affected area of 315.62 hectares.

The central government has designated the areas damaged by the forest fires in Estepona-Benahavís on 9 July and in Árchez on 17 July as areas seriously affected by a civil protection emergency. These are the three municipalities in Malaga included amongst the 13 areas in Andalucía recognised by the government following the incidents that occurred between 31 March and 27 July.

The declaration will enable individuals and organisations affected by both fires to apply for aid to cover personal injury, damage to homes and household goods, losses incurred by businesses, and costs borne by town halls. It also opens up the possibility of applying tax relief, employment measures and state aid of up to 50 per cent to repair municipal infrastructure, facilities and equipment.