Around about the same times as the Danish youth concert band was playing in Almuñécar, el Pago de Guerra above La Herradura went up in flames. Of course, we’re not claiming that the Vikings were out raping, pillaging and burning, in between Abba numbers, nevertheless, it’s worth pointing out that old habits die hard, after all and you can’t let those angelic looks fool you!

Nah, the truth is that an illustrious fruit farmer had thought it a simply spiffing idea to burn branch cuttings… before the autumn rains had come and gone – wrong!

Well, really, I should have said ‘allegedly,’ so please make a mental note that this arse-saving word belongs to the previous paragraph.

Anyway, the result was that underneath that dark column of smoke on the 17th of October, which could be seen for miles were 25 hectares of incinerated brush and fruit trees.
The 37-year-old man was brought before the magistrate and indicted, before being released pending trial.
This was the biggest fire so far this year, down here on the coast, and caused three inhabitants of a threatened dwelling to be evacuated.

During the course of the fire, there were several fronts with the Las Majadas lane being threatened, and towards the north, the peak of Cerro Albita. Another front worked its way along the lane that runs along the bottom of the valley, in the area aptly named Loma del Infierno.

All told, four helicopters took part in the extinguishing of the fire. When you take into account that every flying hour costs 500 euros per aircraft, the culprit is going to get presented with an impressive bill.

As soon as the fire was out, the Guardia Civil unit, Seprona, whose task it is to keep an eye on the countryside, examined the area, looking for the starting point of the fire, and found it on the spot of a bonfire for burning cuttings on this chap’s land. They also interviewed three neighbours, who testified as witnesses to the fire initiating its ‘ardent stroll’ from the said bonfire.

Actually, it’s amazing what lunatics there are who are willing to light a fire in this matchbox that we call Andalucía during the dry months. Mari and I witnessed a man burning branches on his land – in the middle of August, optimistically armed with a garden hose as a countermeasure.