A Scots councillor has told how specialist fire crews were tackling a massive blaze which broke out in mountains in the Costa Del Sol. Bill Anderson, who has lived in Mijas, Malaga, for the last 20 years, first became aware of the large wildfire at around midday on Friday.
The 64-year-old said that security services quickly leapt into action with firefighting planes and helicopters drafted in to douse the flames with water from above. Several residents were evacuated, with local reports suggesting around 1,000 people in the affected area were warned to leave their homes.
Others have been told to keep their windows closed due to high levels of smoke and ash rain. Terrifying footage showed the fierce flames perilously close to a property in the area, however, it is understood that the blaze was considered under control by emergency services by late afternoon.
Bill, 64, who is originally from Edinburgh but is now a councillor in Mijas, 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.
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