The Malaga municipality of Igualeja maintains the confinement and the closure of the road to Ronda after a night of changing winds that complicated the extinguishing efforts. Only one family was evacuated preventively in the Coto area.
The forest fire that keeps Igualeja confined is still active, but the situation has improved compared to the early morning. This is confirmed by the mayor, Isabel Vázquez, in statements to Diario Sur: "The situation is much better than it was this morning."
The night has been long in this municipality of the Alto Genal, in the heart of the Serranía de Ronda and very close to the Sierra de las Nieves. The urban area, with around 800 residents according to the mayor, is surrounded by mountains, orchards, and chestnut groves, next to the source of the Genal River.
The wind changed direction several times and reached gusts of between 50 and 60 kilometres per hour, after being sustained between 30 and 35. This complicated the work of the firefighting teams and raised alarms when the flames approached the village. "At first, it was coming towards Igualeja and the residents were very worried. We had a big scare," Vázquez recounts.
"We haven't slept at all. We have been skirting the fire all night"
The greatest concern was that the fire would enter any of the inhabited areas outside the urban core. In the end, it was only necessary to evacuate one family preventively in the Coto area. The municipality remains confined to limit movement and the road connecting Igualeja with Ronda is still closed, along with the Coto lane and the Toril path.
The Toril is an important route for the locality: it connects with the A-397 road and is used to transport the production during the chestnut harvest, one of the characteristic crops of the area. "The problem is that we are surrounded by the fire, which has a circular shape," admits the mayor.
The Town Hall had invested 125,000 euros in clearing work in recent months, especially in Las Cruces, one of the areas affected by the fire. Vázquez acknowledges the limitations of these actions: "If there are pines, the fire advances even with clearing."
The mayor has thanked the work of the teams throughout the night: "We must thank Infoca, the firefighters from the Provincial Council, and the municipal workers."
Igualeja is not part of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park, although part of its municipal area is included in its Peripheral Protection Zone. The fire remains active and movement and traffic restrictions are maintained while extinguishing efforts continue.
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