NERJA – A garden fire in Nerja spread across the Maro cliffs on 1st April. Five people were trapped in the Carrizal cove and were rescued by sea.
Throughout the night, over 60 firefighters battled a fire which started on the Maro cliffs near Nerja, Andalucia.
The emergency 112 control centre received more than 60 calls alerting them to the fire at around 7pm. A column of smoke could be seen from the centre of Nerja town.
Infoca, Guardia Civil and Local Police mobilised
Alongside regular firefighters, the Local Police, Infoca and Guardia Civil were called into action.
A woman admitted to burning some garden waste next to her house. However, the flames had spread out of control and rapidly spread.
The lack of rain and a westerly wind combined to create perfect conditions for the spread of the fire. The flames raced across the lower part of the cliff towards the perimeter of the watchtower.
A helicopter dropped water on the fire, while ground teams tackled the blaze on the ground, trying to stem the fire’s progress.
People trapped in cove
Beneath the Maro tower, five people were trapped in Carrizal cove. The fire prevented access on foot to the stranded people. In order to rescue them, the Guardia Civil patrol boat from Motril and a jet ski from the Nerja Civil Protection service approached via the sea.
They were able to transfer them, including a girl under the age of 12, without harm to the Marina del Este.
Infoca reported at 10am this morning (Friday, 2nd April) the fire as “stabilised”. There are still personnel on the ground to extinguish and control the fire.
