A former Edinburgh resident, turned Councillor in Malaga, has shared footage of a terrifying wildfire that have broken out in the mountains of the Costa Del Sol. Bill Anderson, who moved to Mijas 20 years ago, first became aware of the large wildfire around midday on Friday, July 15.
The 64-year-old hailed emergency services for their speedy response and reactions to the huge blaze, with firefighting aircraft drafted in to tackle the inferno from above. Several residents, including expats and holidaymakers, were evacuated from nearby apartments, with reports suggesting around 1,000 people were affected.
The Record reports how others were told to keep their window shut as the huge clouds of black smoke billow across the area. Terrifying footage of the fire shows the flames perilously close to a property in the area, however, local firefighter were understood to have the situation under control by late afternoon.
READ MORE: First look inside Edinburgh's new £47m Meadowbank Stadium ahead of opening
Bill, 64, who is originally from Edinburgh, but moved overseas and became a local councillor, said: "On this occasion, the wildfire started up in the mountains at around 12pm. It was 37 degrees this afternoon so you can imagine how dry everything is.
"What happens with these fires really depends on what direction the wind is blowing. It can go up and over the mountain and down into another municipality or down towards us.
"This time, it’s gone over the mountain and people down there are being evacuated. There are some areas that have been evacuated in Mijas just as a precaution because we didn’t know which way the fire was going to go and also because of the smoke.
"It’s very heavy in the sky. It spreads very quickly as these things do. The security services really got on it very quickly.
"At the moment, it seems to be under control but not completely out. Thankfully, these fires very rarely come down into the tourist areas because they’re so built up, there’s not really anything to catch fire as you come down into the main bit.
"The real danger is in the moral rural areas where there are lots of houses built with many having horses, dogs and all sorts of other animals. But from a tourist perspective, it’s not likely to be overly dramatic."
He added: "The services have a lot of practice at dealing with these. The fires do usually spread but they use planes and helicopters which they dip into swimming pools and the sea.
"They’re a very professional service and they’re used to dealing with these things. Hopefully they’ve caught it early enough.
"I haven’t been evacuated on this occasion but I’ve been evacuated three times in the 20 years that I’ve lived here because of wildfires."
The cause of the fire and the scale of damage caused has yet to be determined.
READ NEXT:
Edinburgh mum drops from size 20 to 12 after 'life-changing' four stone weight loss
First look at Edinburgh's swanky new bowling alley with curling rink and karaoke
East Lothian harbour mural will be made of 27,000 pieces of plastic waste
Edinburgh Indiana Jones actor who made child eat food off floor is spared jail
Edinburgh property: Inside the coastal cottage on the market for less than a city flat
