A thermal camera drone from Benalmádena Local Police has allowed the identification of two minors on Mount Calamorro, accused of making several bonfires. The youths were carrying matches and lighters and admitted to the facts.
Technology has become a key ally against fire in Benalmádena. The Local Police of the municipality has managed to identify two minors as the alleged responsible parties for the repeated bonfires recorded on Mount Calamorro over the past few weeks. The discovery was made thanks to the thermal camera of a drone, which detected the youths in the middle of the night.
The events occurred during the early hours of Saturday, when the police drone unit was conducting a preventive surveillance flight. The thermal camera, which captures body heat even in darkness, indicated the presence of two individuals in a hard-to-reach area of the mountain. The officers moved to the indicated point and found several still-hot bonfires, as well as the two minors, who were carrying matches and lighters in their backpacks.
The youths, whose identities have not been disclosed due to their age, admitted to the facts at the time of the intervention. They were taken to the National Police premises, where they remained until their parents came to collect them. The Benalmádena City Council has confirmed that the corresponding police proceedings have been initiated.
A Special Device Against Fire
The operation was not a coincidence. The Local Police had been actively maintaining a special fire prevention device on Mount Calamorro for several weeks, after the first bonfire was detected in the area. The area, of high environmental value and frequently visited by residents and tourists, required constant monitoring.
The drone unit conducted repeated preventive flights until the early hours of Saturday when they achieved the expected result. The mayor of Benalmádena, Juan Antonio Lara, has highlighted that the intervention “surely prevented greater damage in the environment of Mount Calamorro and Cañada del Lobo, an area of great environmental and recreational value.” Lara also praised the use of technological tools such as drones with thermal cameras, which allow access to hard-to-monitor points by conventional methods.
The City Council has reminded that we are in a period of high risk of forest fires, and that at the time of detection, there was wind, which increased the danger of flame spread. Fortunately, the swift action prevented the bonfires from turning into a larger fire.
More Drone Surveillance in the Coming Months
The success of this operation will not be an isolated incident. The Local Police of Benalmádena will maintain the preventive device over the coming months, coinciding with the period of highest fire risk. Officers will continue to use drones with thermal cameras to monitor the most problematic areas of the municipality.
For local residents, this news is a relief. Mount Calamorro is a highly valued green lung, and any fire would have devastating consequences. The combination of technology and police surveillance has proven to be an effective formula for deterring and detecting reckless or criminal behaviour.
The City Council has made a call for civic responsibility. “We are in a period of high risk,” they remind, and urge that any sighting of smoke or fire be reported immediately to the authorities. The next time someone lights a bonfire on the mountain, perhaps a drone will be watching from above.
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