Four Arrests Over Fire In Sierra Bermeja

Four Arrests Over Fire In Sierra Bermeja. Police have arrested four people in connection with the blaze which is still burning in Sierra Bermeja.

Four Arrests Over Fire In Sierra Bermeja

Guardia Civil have arrrested four people over the fire which is still burning on the Costa Del Sol. Whilst experts believe the fire was started accidentally, the four men are thought to have been working in the grounds of La Resinera without the neccessary paperwork. The men are said to have been using heavy machinery which could have created sparks and started the huge fire.

The blaze has decimated 3500 hectares of land in the Pujerra and Benahavis areas. It has been stabilised but is not yet “under control”. Investigators must determine if the building work contributed to the fire, which was worsened by high temperatures, low humidity, and 40 km/h winds. The 6500 hectare La Resinera estate is owned by the Libyan Foreign Bank, but was previously the property of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi who had planned to develop a luxury golf facility on the site.

Injured Fire Fighters Recovering

Three fire fighters were seriously injured whist tackling the blaze, but they have all now been released from hospital and are recoving at home. There are still 62 specialist fire fighters working on the ground along with air support trying to bring the fire under control today.

At it’s most severe point on Thursday afternoon the fire was advancing at a rate of 30 metres per minute and almost 1000 people were involved in the fight to stabilise the blaze. Spokeperson Carmen Crespo says that “there is still work to be done to control and extinguish this fire”.

150 Fire fighters are still working to bring the blaze under control.

Residents Return To Their Homes

Many of those who were forced to leave their homes on Thursday were allowed to return on Friday afternoon. Director Juan Sanchez explained “We are going to continue working on a perimeter that in principle is no longer advancing and that does not pose a danger to the population , therefore we are taking a weight off our shoulders and also freeing up troops for the surgical work that we have to do in the mountains.”

The fire broke out at 5.30pm on Wednesday and spread rapidly. More than 3500 hectares (35 square kilometres) of land have been consumed by the fire. The fire is burning in the Pujerra area to the south of Ronda and the Benahavis area to the north of Puerto Banus.