Only one forest fire greater than 100 hectares scorched the mountains of Malaga province this summer
Eight out of every ten wildfires were limited to "outbreaks" thanks to the rapid intervention of the Junta de Andalucía's Plan Infoca specialist prevention and extinction teams
In one of the most devastating summers in Spain's living memory, with more than 120,000 hectares burned by forest fires in the province of León alone, it can be said that Malaga province has been 'spared'.
Now that the high-risk period, which runs from 1 June to 15 October, is coming to an end, it is time to review the damage. The truth is that between July and August, the rapid intervention of the Junta de Andalucía's Plan Infoca for the prevention and extinction of forest fires has limited the destructiveness of outbreaks to only one fire that has exceeded 100 hectares.
The worst forest fire so far this year occurred on 4 July in Montecorto, in the Serranía de Ronda. It burned 158 hectares, followed by the 95 hectares destroyed by the fire in Villanueva de la Concepción on 11 July. These are undoubtedly the two most significant fires, as the areas burned by other outbreaks were smaller.
Among the fires in Malaga province, the preliminary report provided by the regional government (the Junta) includes those in Antequera (22 July, 25 hectares); Mijas (14 August, 24 hectares); Monda (21 August, 5 hectares); Malaga (1 September, 8 hectares); Benalmádena (1 September, 5 hectares); and Gaucín (12 August, 2 hectares).
Almost all declared "outbreaks"
The "outbreaks" in Malaga province this summer accounted for 80% of all cases, which means that most of them were not as devastating as the fires in other provinces in Spain. Eight out of every ten fires affected an area of fewer than one hectare. In the vast majority of cases, the intervention of the forest fire brigade is so quick and effective that outbreaks are controlled and extinguished before they become serious.
257
million euros have been invested in Plan Infoca in Andalucía this year, most of it (57%) allocated to prevention during the winter
In order for this favourable turnout to be possible, the region invests a lot more in prevention work outside the high-risk period. Plan Infoca's budget for 2025 is 257 million euros, of which 146 million (57%) have been allocated to prevention during the winter and 111 million to extinguishing work.
The prevention effort of the Junta de Andalucía is greater than the investment allocated to extinction. Within this first phase, adaptation of firebreaks, conditioning of areas with a high density of trees and reduction of plant fuel in high-risk areas are key tasks.
In addition, the Junta coordinates the Andalusian network of pasture-firebreak areas (Rapca), which brings together around 200 shepherds across the region. Their work keeps roughly 6,000 hectares of firebreaks grazed and cleared, ensuring they are clean and effective when the summer fire season arrives.
