Five warehouses affected in Malaga province blaze that will take several days to extinguish

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Firefighters have warned of difficulty at two installations that contained textiles in Cajiz although no personal injuries have been reported in the fire that ravaged the eastern Costa del Sol village for more than 24 hours

Eugenio Cabezas

Monday, 20 April 2026, 14:10

A huge fire which broke out at around 4.30pm on Friday 17 April in a warehouse in the industrial estate in Cajiz (Vélez-Málaga) on the eastern Costa del Sol, took over 24 hours to control and has affected five warehouses. A huge column of smoke was visible from several kilometres around the Axarquía.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, around 50 firefighters from Vélez-Málaga, Rincón de la Victoria and Colmenar brigades were still putting out the fire which affected several industrial buildings. Throughout the night, fire fighters worked tirelessly in the control and extinguishing work, focused on preventing the spread of fire to other nearby facilities.

More than 24 hours after the start of the fire in the Cajiz industrial estate, the blaze was still active and had already affected five warehouses, with two of them being particularly difficult to extinguish due to the large amount of clothes stored inside. The deputy mayor of Almayate, Valle-Niza and Cajiz, Jesús María Claros referred to the "intense work" of the firefighters, who continue to focus on controlling the fire and preventing it from spreading. Firefighters warned that it would take several days to extinguish the fire completely.

The president of the Provincial Consortium of Firefighters, Manuel Marmolejo explained to SUR on Saturday that the firefighters would be still tackling the blaze until at least Sunday and especially on the two warehouses where there was a large amount of stored clothing. "We are working with foam to try to lower the heat load," he said.

Strong winds

Local Police, Guardia Civil, National Police, health services and cleaning teams were also initially involved in the operation, guaranteeing safety in the area. Sources from the 112 Andalucía emergency service informed SUR that the fire started at 4.35pm in a textile warehouse located on Calle Guirnaldas in the industrial area.

The flames spread quickly to other adjoining warehouses, due to the strong wind blowing in the area, including two belong to a textile firm, another to an ice cream company - Nonna Helados. The industrial estate affected is called Los Puertas, technically in Almayate Alto, although it is known as Cajiz, due to its proximity to the village. The sources consulted said that no personal injuries had been reported although dozens of workers evacuated.

Sources from the provincial fire brigade consortium explained that the fire spread at high speed due to the wind. The flames were brought under control shortly after 8.30pm and the firefighters were working on cooling down the damaged buildings. Forensic police will now analyse the circumstances of the fire to determine the origin of the fire and its possible cause.

Request for help from Nonna Helados

Meanwhile, the Rodríguez family, who run Nonna Helados ice-cream company, launched an urgent appeal on social media after completely losing their factory in the fire. Owner Enrique Rodríguez said he was "devastated" and added that they are looking for support to be able to resume their activity and not lose their customers or the project they have been building for years.

The company, which employs around ten people, "urgently" needs a temporary warehouse or premises, basic ice cream machinery and logistical support to restart production as soon as possible. "We are not asking for handouts, we are asking for help to keep working", insisted Rodríguez in a video posted on social media, which prioritises maintaining jobs and ensuring the continuity of the family business.