1000 People Battling Benahavis Blaze

1000 People Battling Benahavis Blaze. The army have been brought in to help fire fighters tackle the blaze as 3000 people are forced to leave their homes.

1000 People Battling Benahavis Blaze

The fire broke out at 5.30pm yesterday and has been spreading rapidly. More than 2150 hectares (21.5 square kilometres) of land have been consumed by the fire. Almost 1000 people are now involved in the battle to bring the blaze under control. The fire is burning in the Pujerra area to the south of Ronda and the Benahavis area to the north of Puerto Banus. The Junta de Andalucia has activated a Level 1 EmergencyPlan for the area.

Emergency workers have been helping local wildife to escape the fire on the Costa Del Sol.

Benahavis Evacuation

Several urbanisations in the Benahavis area have been evacuated. The town Mayor José Antonio Mena has said that around 3000 people have had to leave their homes. As well as residents from Benahavis village people have also been evacuated from Montemayor, the Marbella Club Golf and Benahavís Hills urbanisations, and from country homes in Júzcar and Pujerra.

The fire viewed from the El Madronal Area this morning. Photo by Elena Brennan.

Military Emergency Unit Assisting

There are now 946 people fighting the fire on the Costa Del Sol. 500 specialist forest fire fighters have been joined by 30 fire fighters from Mijas, Marbella, and Fuengirola, 50 Guardia Civil officers, national and local police officers, paramedics, red cross volunteers, civil protection volunteers, animal rescue specialists, and 233 troops from the Military Emergency Unit.

The first major fire of 2022 is bringing back memories of the Sierra Bermeja blaze last summer which decimated a huge area.

Published: 09.06.2022

Written by Dave James