Mijas Blaze Burns Through 1900 Hectares

Mijas Blaze Burns Through 1900 Hectares. The fire continues to spread quickly inland from it’s flashpoint in Sierra De Mijas.

Mijas Blaze Burns Through 1900 Hectares

Almost 1900 hectares of land (20 square kilometres) have been destroyed by the fire which broke out near Mijas on Friday, and quickly spread inland towards Alhaurin. 400 people are tackling the devastating blaze, including specialists from Infoca, the Civil Guard, Civil Protection, the Red Cross, and animal care expers. Alongside the ground crews, there at 15 aircraft battling the blaze.

Many people have been forced to leave their homes. 3065 people were evacuated from Alhaurin De La Torre and Alhaurin El Grande, though 300 have now been able to return to their properties.

The blaze seen approaching La Alqueria overnight. Photo by Elena Brennan.

Weather Conditions Increase Fire Threat

Weather conditions constinue to hamper the efforts of fire fighters. Alexander Molina from Infoca said “the weather forecast is not good. We do not expect strong winds, but because of the rise in temperature and the drop in relative humidity, we do not rule out the possibility of new fires or the reactivation 0f some areas which have been extinguished.”

The fire is spreading at a speed of 50 metres per minute, almost double the speed of the Sierra Bermeja fire earlier this year. At times the flames have reached heights of 20 metres. Efforts to stop the fire are being made difficult by the types of vegetation and trees. The dense pine trees prevent water being dropped by the helicopters from reaching the fire at ground level. The pine cones catch fire and explode like small rockets which causes the fire to spread even more rapidly.

Published: 16.07.2022

Written by Dave James