Infoca mobilised two helicopters and 14 firefighters to extinguish the flames in Monte Benaque, next to the regional road. The fire approached the urban area but did not require the evacuation of homes.
The scare has turned into a controlled episode. A wildfire declared on Wednesday afternoon in the area of Monte Benaque in Macharaviaya has been extinguished without the need to evacuate homes, as confirmed by the mayor, Antonio Campos (PSOE). The fire started after 3:00 PM next to the regional road and reached a point about 800 metres from the main urban area.
The deployment by the Infoca Plan included two light helicopters, 14 forest firefighters, and two Wildfire Reinforcement Brigades (BRICA), as well as an operations technician and an environmental agent. The efforts focused on halting the spread of the flames and securing the perimeter near the population.
Campos explained that the fire was located "about 800 metres before reaching the village" and emphasised that at no time was the evacuation of residents considered, as there were no very nearby rural homes. Shortly after, the mayor confirmed that the flames had been extinguished: "It is already out."
"It is already out."
The Macharaviaya Town Hall issued a message of reassurance to residents after the situation was brought under control, although it warned that smoke could still be seen in the area while work continued to fully secure the land and prevent possible re-ignitions. The local administration expressly thanked the intervention of the Provincial Fire Consortium and the forest firefighters "for their quick action and their work from the very beginning."
This fire occurred just a day after the fire declared on Tuesday in the area of Río de la Miel, in Nerja, within the natural park of Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama. That incident was stabilised on Wednesday at 7:45 AM after mobilising a much larger operation, with eight aerial resources and 76 forest firefighters. The MA-6102 had to be closed during the extinguishing efforts, and residents of around a hundred rural homes were able to return to their houses afterwards.
In Nerja, efforts continue to achieve definitive control of the fire, the causes of which remain officially undetermined. The two wildfires have occurred just hours apart in different locations in the Axarquía, during the final stretch of August and after weeks marked by high temperatures and the risk of flame spread in mountainous areas.
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