Andalusia’s first vice-president and minister for the Presidency, Health and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, said the Igualeja wildfire was declared stabilised at 7:50 p.m. on September 27, after crews secured the sector threatening Igualeja and Parauta and the area where the fire had crossed the road. All self-protection measures introduced during the emergency were lifted. Eleven people who had been moved from scattered homes can return, and preventive confinements in Igualeja and Parauta have ended.
Since midday, firefighting efforts had focused on two areas. Crews first worked to protect the population of Igualeja and Parauta and secure the fire perimeter, using hand tools and water lines to establish defence lines. At the same time, they worked near the A-397, which connects San Pedro de Alcántara and Ronda, where repeated flare-ups complicated operations. Deteriorating weather conditions also affected the work during the day. The fire crossed the A-397 in two places, both of which were later secured.
Sanz said spot fires and firebrands near the original command-post location had prompted crews to leave the area as a precaution and move to a safe position. At Conejeras, Provincial Fire Consortium personnel faced a dangerous situation, but no one was injured, he said. A bus carrying visitors to Parauta’s Bosque Encantado was also moved away as a precaution.
After the sector near Igualeja and Parauta was secured, most resources were concentrated near the road, where fire activity was greatest. This enabled crews to make a stronger attack on a more limited area. Together with the forecast for the coming hours, the progress made allowed the fire-control director to declare the fire stabilised and lift the protective measures.
Nearly 200 personnel remain deployed, including forest firefighters, BRICA crews, technical and logistics staff, five water tenders and specialist units. Work will continue over the coming hours to bring the fire under control and then extinguish it.
Overnight, restrictions will remain only on the A-397. If conditions continue to improve, the road is expected to reopen fully early the following morning. Traffic conditions on other roads have returned to normal. Sanz thanked the emergency response teams, including Infoca, the Civil Guard, 061, Civil Protection, 1-1-2, GREA, local police, the regional police unit, environmental agents and the Provincial Fire Consortium, as well as local councils and residents.