A Ficus broke last night in the La Paz neighbourhood of Málaga, and its branches fell onto the public road. This is the fourth incident of this kind in eight days, keeping residents on alert.
A large Ficus broke last night in a pedestrian area of the La Paz neighbourhood in Málaga, and several of its branches collapsed onto the ground. The incident occurred at the junction of calle Realenga de San Luis and camino de los Guindos, next to the northern wall of the parque del Oeste.
According to Diario Sur, one resident, Juan Antonio Hidalgo, reported that they heard a loud noise and saw the branches detach. Moments earlier, a neighbour had walked under the tree to throw out the rubbish. "It's an area where people always pass by or children are playing. It's a miracle that no tragedy has occurred," he stated.
The firefighters arrived at the scene to cordon off the area, and this morning, workers from Parques y Jardines cut the fallen branches and inspected the Ficus. The City Council indicated that this tree was not classified as at risk of falling and had been checked in June with no apparent symptoms.
This incident adds to three others in the last eight days. On the 22nd, a large branch from a eucalyptus injured two young women in Miraflores de los Ángeles. One of them remains hospitalised and has undergone surgery on her collarbone, lung, and shoulder; her parents and those of the other young woman plan to claim compensation from the City Council. Two days later, another branch fell onto a vehicle on calle Encarnación Fontiveros, with no injuries, and on Friday, the park in Alfonso XII square was closed due to a tree falling.
Consulted experts point to several causes. Enrique Salvo, a botanist and professor at UMA, believes that "there is a high risk of more branches falling" and attributes it to heavy rains followed by extreme heat. Alberto Díaz, a doctoral student in Botany, adds that high temperatures are an "aggravating" factor but not a determining one, and calls for more data on the condition of the trees. Baltasar Cabezudo, a retired professor, insists that each tree must be studied as an individual and that residents are the first to detect problems.
The City Council maintains that Málaga's urban trees, around 112,000, are periodically inspected, although the recurrence of these incidents without wind or rain keeps residents concerned.
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