Showers at Mijas fire station have been closed after routine testing detected legionella bacteria, following similar findings at the town’s Local Police headquarters.
The council said the positive result affected showers in the fire station’s male changing rooms. The affected pipework is undergoing intensive chlorine disinfection.
Municipal sources said no firefighters were off sick because of the finding and denied that any case of illness had been confirmed.
They said monthly preventative checks carried out under a contract with specialist company ATHISA had identified the contamination.
The council insisted the situation was being addressed and rejected accusations that information had been concealed.
PSOE councillor Josele Gonzalez said testing at the fire station had recorded 6,000 colony-forming units per litre.
He accused mayor Ana Mata and Vox councillor Francisco Jerez, who oversees the fire service, of failing to inform residents and criticised maintenance standards at municipal facilities.
The council disputed his characterisation of the situation, stressing that a positive water sample did not mean a person had become ill.
The announcement follows the closure of showers at Mijas Local Police headquarters after legionella was detected there.
A health report dated November 3, seen by Malaga Hoy, recorded positive findings from checks conducted on October 19 in both the male and female changing-room showers, as well as the building’s cold-water storage tank.
The council said the police headquarters issue had been resolved through chlorine disinfection. No affected individuals had been reported.
What is legionella?
Legionella is a type of bacteria that can multiply in building water systems. People can become infected by breathing in tiny contaminated water droplets, including spray from showers.
It can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially fatal lung infection, or a milder flu-like illness called Pontiac fever.
Older people, smokers and those with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses are more vulnerable. Finding the bacteria in water does not, by itself, mean anyone has become ill.
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