The Fire Season

Spain has been in the grip of a heatwave for the last few days. The weather map showed a deep red across the whole of Spain with the exception of the strip of land between the Sierra Cantabrica ( the northernmost range of mountains which run from the Pyrenees to Galicia) and the Bay of Biscay; these provinces only merited an orange! Temperatures well into the 40s were not uncommon, although here, near the coast we were spared those extremes, our maximum temperatures being 38 degrees on Saturday and 37 yesterday. Today the heatwave is fading and we only expect a maximum of 32 degrees. A consequence of these high temperatures, especially following a much drier winter than normal, is that fires can break out with alarming ease. At one stage recently the main A7 motorway was closed for a time between Figueres and the French border. Major fires are burning on several islands in the Canaries, and there have been big fires in the Alicante area and on the edge of the Doñana Natural Park, to mention but a few. So it was hardly surprising when yesterday afternoon the scrub around the summit of Cruz de Pinto just outside the village caught fire. Fortunately, Cruz de Pinto comes at the southern edge of a ridge of mountains and is easily visible from Frigiliana and from Nerja, so the emergency services were on the scene very quickly and soon had the blaze under control. Thanks to their efforts it was more of a spectacle than a threat, but it’s also a warning - a carelessly discarded cigarette end or a piece of broken glass from a bottle not taken home is all that is needed at this time of year to spark a flame.