At least two people have been injured by the wildfire currently raging in Benahavis.
Thousands of residents were ordered to remain indoors on Sunday as firefighters battled to bring the inferno under control, while one urbanisation was evacuated.
The blaze broke out at around 1.07pm in the Ermita del Rosario area and has proved increasingly difficult for firefighters to tackle.
The Junta de Andalucia has activated Operational Situation 1 of the wildfire emergency plan and ordered the preventive confinement of Benahavis town centre, scattered properties to the north and west and La Coja urbanisation.
Meanwhile, residents of Montemayor Alto have been ordered to evacuate as a precaution.
One person suffered burns while attempting to tackle the fire, while an Infoca forest firefighter suffered traumatic injuries after falling during the operation.
Emergency alert sent to phones
An ES-Alert emergency warning has been sent directly to mobile phones in Benahavis and surrounding areas as authorities urge residents not to take unnecessary risks.
Antonio Sanz, the Junta’s emergency chief, has told those ordered to remain indoors to close doors and windows, protect vulnerable people including children, the elderly and the sick, and follow instructions from emergency service 112.
A huge firefighting operation is now battling to stabilise the blaze.
The latest deployment includes 22 aircraft and 105 forest firefighters, alongside six operations technicians, two environmental officers, three fire engines and two bulldozers.
The aerial force includes heavy, medium and light helicopters as well as land-loading and amphibious firefighting aircraft.
Fire crews from elsewhere on the Costa del Sol have also been drafted in.
Marbella and San Pedro firefighters are assisting the operation in coordination with Infoca and Malaga’s provincial fire brigade.
Road restrictions
The DGT has closed the right-hand lane of the A-7175 in the affected direction to make it easier for emergency vehicles to reach the fire.
Authorities are urging people to avoid travelling through the affected area and obey instructions from emergency crews.
The blaze is the second serious wildfire to hit Benahavis this summer.
A major fire in July forced more than 1,000 residents to evacuate, including around 400 homes in Parque Botanico and Los Flamingos, while more than 200 personnel were deployed overnight.
