A MAJOR wildfire is burning on the fringes of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park, forcing an entire Serrania de Ronda village into lockdown.
The blaze broke out at 10.19pm on Saturday near the Mirador de Igualeja viewpoint, just five years after the neighbouring Genal Valley and Sierra Bermeja were devastated by Spain’s first so-called ‘sixth-generation’ fire.
That 2021 inferno burned for weeks, scorched more than 10,000 hectares of forest and cost the life of INFOCA firefighter Carlos Martinez.
The area is considered one of the most sensitive in Spain for forest fires, and was declared the country’s 16th national park in 2021, partly to protect its rare pinsapo fir forests.
The Junta de Andalucia activated the emergency phase of its INFOCA wildfire plan, at operational level 1, in the early hours of Sunday.
All residents of Igualeja have been ordered to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut to keep out smoke.
The MA-7304 road remains closed.
Some 140 forest firefighters and seven fire engines are working to contain the flames, backed by up to nine water-bombing helicopters and planes, a BRICA reinforcement brigade, a mobile weather unit and drones.
Neighbouring Parauta also endured a difficult night as the flames spread.
Crews face a tough day, with winds of around 20 knots this morning blowing the fire inland.
Emergency services have urged people to stay away from the area and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.
The blaze remains active and its cause is not yet known.
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