A fire broke out this morning at 10.28h in the Sierra de Lújar, near Gualchos. At the moment there are five aircraft and two fire trucks working to control the flames.

Unconfirmed reports claim that the Mayor of Lújar, Manuel Mariano González Gallegos has ordered the village evacuated, involving 400 locals as a safety precaution. At the moment nobody is answering the Town-Hall telephone.

Also the GR-5207 (Gualchos back road Motril) between KM 0 and KM7, has been closed to traffic.

The area around there contains one of the few Spanish-oak forests left on the Costa Tropical. Also there are military installations (radar station) in the area of the fire and the wind-turbine park.

The Guardia Civil have three patrol cars out, helping to control access to the affected area and help with the evacuations from nearby cortijos.

The column of smoke is visible from Almuñécar and Calahonda.