There was a grass and brush fire in Almuñécar around midday that, although produced a lot of smoke and quickly spread, did not require the help of Infoca.

The fire was in an area of the Camino de la Cerca, which is quite near the high school, where there are several houses.

The local fire service, aided by residents of the nearby houses with hosepipes, manage to put the fire out. An infoca command aircraft circled the area but deemed that their assistance was not necessary.

The fire was best viewed from the N-340, near the El Mirador de Cotobro restaurant on the entrance to Almuñécar from La Herradura. From there one could see the fire being pushed by the strong breeze from the vega area towards the nearby dwellings, at one point igniting several bushes and a large tree within the gardens of the houses.

Speaking with the residents of the houses, they explained they were shocked at how quickly the fire had become a problem and by the amount of smoke.

They were quite clearly worried by the thick smoke and some residents in houses more distant from the head of the fire offered the most affected neighbours refuge in their houses.

Although several gardens were infringed upon, the local fire service and household hosepipe bearers seemed able to keep the flames at bay, leaving everyone present safe, but smelling like a bonfire.

The cause of the fire is still not known but there is a strong probability that somebody had lit a bonfire to burn cuttings – a homeowner or a farmer, as the area borders on the Sandovala Vega.

(News: Almuñécar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)