Mijas wildfire in Spain’s Costa del Sol declared under control after burning 1,870 hectares

A WILDFIRE that has ravaged hills outside Mijas on Spain’s Costa del Sol has finally been brought under control, but not before destroying 1,870 hectares.

Andalucia’s firefighting agency INFOCA confirmed on Tuesday, July 19 that the Mijas wildfire was ‘declared under control’ at 11:30 a.m.

The blaze which broke out on Thursday afternoon scorched a total of 1,870 hectares in the municipalities of Mijas, Alhaurin el Grande and Alhaurín de la Torre.

The fire was declared stabilised on Sunday, July 17 after a plane checked the area to evaluate the situation.

And on Monday hundreds of forest firefighters and three fire engines continued to bring the flames under control.

This fire caused 3,000 people to be evacuated as the flames threatened urbanisations in Alhaurin el Grande and Alhaurin de la Torre.

Councillor of Agriculture, Fisheries and Sustainable development, Carmen Crespo confirmed that the blaze broke out in the Higueron area of Sierra de Mijas and then later spread to Alhaurin de la Torre and Alhaurin el Grande. 

She said it seemed unlikely that the fire was a result of natural causes and that an investigation had been launched to determine whether it was sparked intentionally or was the result of negligence.

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