A large forest fire broke out in the vicinity of the tourist attraction of Mijas in southern Spain on Friday. Jan and Anita Koehorst, originally from Helvoirt, live nearby on a campo in the outskirts of Alhaurin el Grande. The inhabitants there have to leave their village. “We have already received two evacuees,” says Anita.
Jan and Anita’s house is about three kilometers from the village. “The police had knocked on the door of the evacuees. They were banging on the doors. The residents had to leave their houses immediately. They are acquaintances of ours and they have come to us. The fire is raging on the other side of the village We are fairly safe here,” says Anita.
Anita was shopping in the morning and saw a red glow in the sky. “I thought it was another cloud of Saharan sand. Until I looked further and saw the helicopters and heard the sirens. It was definitely a forest fire.”
“People and animals must find a safe haven.”
From her house she sees the flames on the hills in the distance. “Everything has been cordoned off. People and animals have to find a safe haven. Everyone is ready to help. We also have a trailer ready to pick up donkeys. The fire brigade is well equipped here to extinguish forest fires.”
And who knows, maybe even more people will come into Jan and Anita’s house. “We have indicated that we can accommodate a maximum of ten people.”
