The Los Guájares forest fire has become the biggest in Granada in the last 22 years, after wiping out 2,800 hectares, of mountain shrub, pines and Spanish oaks.

A Junta bigwig, Giuseppe Aloisio, announced at 13.30h yesterday that damage area was around 2,000 hectares, but after another night the figure increased by 800 ha, and that might be short of the real figure.

Forest fires this century in the province have been: Sierra de Lanjarón (2005) that burnt 2,610 ha, Bodíjar that consumed 2,700, and most recently, Lújar where 2,000 ha of forest land were laid waste. In fact, you have to go back to 1993 to find a fire that has destroyed more; i.e., the one in Sierra de Huétor where the damage covered 8,000 hectares.

So, where is it now, 35 hours after breaking out in the mountains around Los Guájares spreading towards Albuñuelas? It started off almost in a straight line heading for Albuñuelas but veering winds during Thursday night spread it out into almost a triangle shape with each face measuring between five and seven kilometres in length.

The main problem is the lay of the land, which is very steep mountain side, many parts of which are inaccessible to wheeled transport so when dusk falls and all the aircraft are withdrawn until the following dawn, Infoca has its work cut out for it.

A forest fire is a voracious and vicious beast that can turn on firefighters in an instant when the wind veers – one did so a year ago, claiming the life of one of their number, Carlos Martínez during the fire that rampaged across the Sierra Bermeja in Málaga.

As for the present situation, Saturday, the fire crested the sierra fringes of the Valle de Lecrín around 02.30h this morning. It was witnessed by the Mayors of Albuñuelas and El Valle who were at the command post.

Work in Los Guájares continued to make sure the fire didn’t turn on them there and at the southern end of Albuñuelas the Infoca bulldozers raced to clear vegetation that would have provided fuel for the fire, climbing up the skirts of the sierra to provide a firebreak. You need nerves of steel to drive one of those beast up such terrain.

As of 14.30h earlier this afternoon there are still over 230 personnel, 20 aircraft, 10 fire engines and three bulldozers deployed with most of the assets deployed on the northern flank. The number of personnel fluctuates as exhausted firefighters are stood down and new personnel come in from other Infoca bases around Andalucía.

It should be remembered some of them have to make their way through very tough terrain, carrying all their equipment, sometimes up to four hours before they arrive on station.

(News: Los Guájares/Albuñuelas, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)