Six years of wildfire season in Estepona: One expat’s reflections

Caroline Lips, Head of Marketing at Staysure Expat, moved from the UK to the Costa del Sol in 2013. Already a Spanish speaker and long-time admirer of Spain, she’s built a life there around the region’s year-round sunshine, outdoor lifestyle and international community.

Based in Estepona, Caroline has watched this year’s wildfire season with a mix of sadness for those affected and a very personal sense of familiarity. Here, she reflects on her own experiences with wildfires over the years near her home.

Thankfully, my home in Estepona has been spared, despite several fires over the last six years, but I did once come too close for comfort to a wildfire.

I remember on one occasion driving and coming across a wildfire which was coming down onto the road near where I lived. The police stopped the traffic and we had to drive across the central reservation to get away. We were so close we could feel the heat and see the flames approaching the road. I was so grateful for the excellent work of the police and emergency services to enable us to get out of danger.”

The fires which really stick in Caroline’s mind took place in 2020 and 2021.

“In 2020 a fire jumped the road and made the thatched roof of the luxury shopping and restaurant complex Laguna Village catch light, destroying it completely and sweeping through more than 40 hectares of land, destroying homes in the process.”

“Worse still was the massive wildfire which destroyed a huge amount of the forested areas on the Sierra Bermeja mountain range in 2021, claiming the life of a brave firefighter. Seeing the mountain ablaze for more than six days, and thousands being evacuated, was terrifying.”

“In July and August this year there have been two fires nearby in the Río Padrón area and Montemayor, which borders Estepona. Both fires resulted in temporary road closures and evacuations of homes, and the whole area remains on high alert.”

Caroline is also urging fellow expats to stay informed about the rules around BBQs, cigarettes and outdoor fires this summer, and to do everything possible to limit the risk of fire. We’ve laid out exactly what those rules mean, and the fines involved, in a companion piece: Lighting a BBQ in Spain Could Cost You Up to Half a Million Euros.

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^{This article reflects one individual’s personal experiences and is for general information only. Staysure Expat is a trading name of Avanti Group Solutions. Products are administered by Howserv Europe, S.L., acting as an exclusive agent of ERGO Seguros de Viaje Europäische Reiseversicherung AG, Sucursal en España}