The Mijas Town Hall has announced that it will act as a private prosecutor to determine who is responsible for the fire that started last Friday in the 'Paraje del Higuerón' in the Mijas mountain range. It has so far affected some 1,875 hectares in Mijas, Alhaurín el Grande and Alhaurín de la Torre. "After hearing that the fire did not originate from natural causes, we want to announce that we are taking criminal responsibility. The Mijas Town Hall is going to appear as a private prosecutor at the moment that any possible person is held responsible for this environmental catastrophe. The fire has had catastrophic consequences for our mountains," says the Mijas Councillor, Josele González (PSOE), who asserts that "not a single brick is going to be in the burnt area. Each burnt tree will be replanted by another one. That is going to be our priority in the coming months.

In this sense, González announced that meetings with Firefighters, Civil Protection, environmental agents, and various personnel who have been providing their service in the fire-fighting "define the needs of reforestation and restoration. The aim is to transfer them to the Junta so that they can put an urgent reforestation plan in place. We will account for the social, environmental and private groups that have already expressed their interest". He also denounced, "we have felt the need for more aerial resources and maintenance work on the regional government's part. The administration is responsible for these maintenance and conservation tasks in the public forest".

 

Meanwhile, the First Deputy Mayor, José Carlos Martín (Cs), explains how "it has been a difficult weekend, where the Town Council has mobilised the means and resources available to stop the advance of the fire through our municipality. Firefighters, Local Police, Operational Services, Civil Protection, Basic Income and many other volunteers have participated in this forest fire. I thank them for their involvement in preventing a major catastrophe. It is also important to thank the neighbours for their patience, and calm as many had to be evacuated or saw the flames close to their homes".

"At the moment, we have to assess the exact area affected in the municipality of Mijas, as we know that there are about 2,000 hectares together with Alhaurín el Grande and Alhaurín de la Torre. Once we know what caused the fire, we will have to take responsibility if it was arson or negligence", adds Martín, who hopes "that this misfortune will make us all reflect.
We are not exempt from any arsonist or accident setting fire to our Sierra, but we do have to put all our efforts into it".

The operational and extinction management of the Infoca Plan authorised the return of the residents evicted in Alhaurín el Grande and Alhaurín de la Torre this Sunday. The fire stabilised at 7.30 pm, and level 0 was established in the Forest Fire Emergency Plan.

Finally, the local government called for caution at midday on Monday, the fire was still in the stabilisation phase, and there were still several stages to go before extinguished.

"Our thanks to all the areas that have collaborated and continue to do so. Workers who have made themselves available to the Town Hall to put in the hours at this difficult time. Companies in Mijas who have offered to collaborate and to all the neighbours who have not stopped asking how they could help," concluded the local government.

Watering troughs review

The fire has not only affected the flora of the Mijas mountain range but also its fauna. That is why the Town Council has proceeded to review with the rural guards and Operational Services workers all the municipal drinking troughs distributed throughout the Sierra. "We have also installed temporary drinking troughs in the areas devastated by the fire, and we have revised and replaced the fencing in the area to guarantee water and food for the animals that inhabit this environment".
 

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