A dense cloud of orange smoke rising up from the north of the town of Marbella early last Friday afternoon boded ominously. Helicopters and amphibious aircraft overhead confirmed the worst: Marbella was the setting for the first big blaze of the summer on the Costa del Sol. The fire swept over 90 hectares of dense scrub dotted with cork trees - 70 per cent building plots (a few with houses on them) and the rest forest land - in Elviria, one of the most up-market areas in Marbella, and Los Molineros.
The force of the flames, blown along at times by gusts of easterly wind of up to 30 kph, endangered 50 homes, which had to be evacuated at speed, as fear seized the hearts of the occupants. But it was just a preventative measure; in the end damage to property, mainly on the outside, was minor.
The fire, which started at around 2.30 p.m., was caused by a machine clearing undergrowth. According to the provincial head of the Environment, Ignacio Trillo, three individuals were clearing land in the north of Elviria when the scrub caught fire with a spark from the machine. The three people, working on private land, were arrested by the regional police and handed over to the court. “The prevailing weather conditions - a temperature of 30ºC and wind - meant that any permit that they had to burn plant material would have automatically been cancelled”, pointed out Trillo.
The fire continued to burn until after 9 p.m., when the Andalusian fire-fighting force, Infoca, announced that it was under control. But for seven hours a spectacular display of firefighters and equipment belonging to all the authorities battled the blaze. As many as 225 people were involved in the work, plus seven helicopters, three amphibian flying boats, two light aircraft, one aircraft to coordinate the work and another to comb the area. In addition to the high temperature and strong easterly wind humidity of 30 per cent aggravated the situation.
The fire split into three tongues of flames which at times licked the side of the Costa del Sol toll motorway. Hundreds of curious onlookers hung over their balconies or stopped on the hard shoulder to gaze at the blaze as it spread along the area north-east of the town.
In the end nobody was hurt as the Civil Protection authorities, the 112 Emergency Service and the Local Police evacuated the whole area. Owners looked on helplessly as the flames crept close to their homes. Almost all of them were able to go to relations or friends to wait while the fire was brought under control. Marbella Town Hall offered to pay for accommodation for those who had nowhere to go. There were also fears that the fire would reach the estate belonging to singer Julio Iglesias, on the border between Marbella and the municipal district of Ojén, but in the end it passed by.
In the area where it started, in the northern part of Elviria, there are only a few luxury villas, while in Los Molineros several of the houses are surrounded by land with grazing cattle.
The council has offered to include the plots affected - all privately owned - in a re-afforestation plan if the owners so wish.
(source: Sur In English)
