Mijas to reduce risk of forest fires with controlled burning of dried vegetation and shrubland

Mayor of Mijas Ana Mata met with the deputy director of the provincial operational centre of Plan Infoca (the Junta specialist forest fire brigade), Alejandro Molina, earlier this week to discuss the coordination of a controlled burning of dried vegetation and shrubland in the Hippodrome-El Chaparral area to reduce the risk of fires during the summer season.

The meeting was also attended by members of the municipal fire brigade, Local Police, Guardia Civil and civil protection services, who formalised the necessary measures needed to carry the operation, which, weather permitting, will take place next week.

The burning is carried out under a specific methodology that allows the intensity of fire to be controlled. Before the operation can begin, the teams involved first analyse factors such as humidity, temperature and wind. The mayor stressed that local residents in the area, which she described as being “an area with a high recurrence of fires”, will be given prior notice of when the process will begin.

“It is necessary to develop all the necessary measures to avoid the fires that, unfortunately, we have suffered on several occasions in our municipality. Of course, I appeal to the residents of the area to remain calm, and not to be alarmed when the burning takes place,” Mata said.