RESIDENTS evacuated from a upmarket Benahavis urbanisation have been told they can return home after firefighters bring under control a wildfire that shut the AP-7 motorway on the Costa del Sol.
Andalucia’s regional emergency coordination service, EMA 112, confirmed early on Friday that residents evacuated as a precaution from the Flamingos estate had been authorised to go home.
Flamingos is a housing development in Benahavis, the hillside town inland from Marbella.
The wildfire broke out shortly before 4.40pm on Thursday, July 9, in the Montemayor area of Estepona.
It prompted the Junta to raise its wildfire response protocol, Plan Infoca, to emergency level, a status known as Situacion Operativa 1.
Estepona town hall evacuated residents as a precaution from the nearby Parque Botanico Country Club estate and closed the AP-7, the motorway running along this stretch of coast, while crews tackled the blaze.
Benahavis town hall said around 96 people had also been evacuated from the Four Seasons apartments, and opened its municipal sports hall on Calle Las Margaritas as a shelter for anyone displaced.
The blaze’s official reference changed from Estepona to Benahavis as it spread across the municipal boundary, Benahavis town hall said.
At the height of the operation, 110 emergency personnel were deployed, along with four fire engines, six planes and seven helicopters.
Marbella’s mayor, Angeles Muñoz, said her town had also sent its own firefighters and civil protection crews to support the operation, with preventive evacuations still under way across several ‘first-line’ developments in the area at the time.
The AP-7 has since reopened to traffic.
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you could atleast use a picture of where the fire actually was, not the picture showing San Pedro area
If you open the story there are various pics and a video !
Thank you for your response.
I use the site a lot as its super informative about the coast&more and some interesting articles that one wouldn’t be aware of if it wasn’t for the site, but I live in Parque Botanico and the fire started literally on the other side of Parque Botanico, AP7, PB was also evactuated an hour or so before Los Flamingos.
I am currently in Fuji Japan but am Ii feel more up to date than the article itelf.
Its just nice to have the ‘cover picture’ atleast being of relevance rather than a random stock picture from San Pedro.
Keep up the good work.
Hi, the pic wasn’t random it came from Emergencias 112 of the blaze. You’re right it wasn’t the best pic but there’s so many fires in Spain atm it was hard to find a good one and we are under a lot of pressure to cover the tragic fire in Almeria so unfortunately this pic was chosen. But thanks for your kind words.