Mijas steps up forest fire prevention in lead-up to high-risk season

Costa del Sol

The project is aimed at strengthening the maintenance, conservation and protection of the natural environment following a particularly wet winter, which has led to significant vegetation growth and increased fire risk

Tony Bryant

Mijas town hall has stepped up pruning, scrub clearance and cleaning in the Sierra de Mijas in the run-up to the high-risk wildfire season. The project is aimed at strengthening the maintenance, conservation and protection of the natural environment following a particularly wet winter, which has led to significant vegetation growth and increased fire risk.

The work includes forestry treatments, scrub clearance, thinning, pruning, the removal of invasive species, reforestation and the upkeep of forestry infrastructure.

The plan is intended to reduce the risks associated with excessive vegetation growth ahead of the summer months, when high temperatures and low humidity significantly increase the danger of wildfires.

Maintenance crews will continue working until 31 May, the deadline set under regional legislation for carrying out forestry work in mountain areas.

Any plant waste generated during the works must be removed or disposed of as quickly as possible, either through shredding, chipping or transport to an authorised waste facility. The 1.2-million-euro contract will cover an initial two-year term plus optional extensions through to 2029.

Mayor Ana Mata visited the area on Wednesday, where workers from Eulen Group - the company contracted by the council to carry out maintenance - is currently operating to protect the mountain range.

Mata said that all protected species are being treated with “the utmost care”, adding that no species listed in Spain’s national endangered species register, the Andalusian catalogue, or any species subject to strict protection would be cut, uprooted or otherwise harmed.