Charlie Smith
A YOUNG person and a woman have been arrested over the second Malaga forest fire in 24 hours.
The suspects were believed to have been smoking in an ‘abandoned farmhouse’ near the Costa del Sol.
The pair have been held over a blaze near the Cala del Moral urbanization in Rincon de la Victoria, which ignited shortly after 19.05pm this evening.
They are alleged to have sparked up near a block of flats, causing a fire that spread to nearby scrubland and olive trees.
Worried residents have reported flames reaching within 200 metres of homes.
Some locals recorded mobile footage of the alleged firestarters fleeing the scene.
There are around 200 homes close to the site of the fire, with smoke reported to have reached some properties.
The fire has been brought under control by Infoca, the Junta de Andalucia’s forest fire unit, which sent to two helicopters to tackle the blaze.
Members of the Guardia Civil and Policia Nacional have also been been despatched.
Police arrested the suspects and are then understood to have secured the perimeter.
This latest fire comes after several others in Andalucia this week, including a blaze in Casares yesterday.
That fire, which was extinguished today had cut off the main road from the pueblo down to the Manilva coast.
