Wildfires have made Tracey J Parker question her decision to live in the popular Spanish tourism spot
Twenty-seven years ago, Tracey J Parker moved from rainy Yorkshire to Málaga, one of Spain’s most popular regions for British expats thanks to its relaxed blend of sunshine, culture and entertainment.
Casares, a municipality with 8,528 residents, has been her home ever since. The equine podiatrist found a partner and bought six acres of land, where she lives with her horses.
But when flames encircled her property for the 15th time on the afternoon of 21 July, she realised she had to move elsewhere in Spain.
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“I’m desperate to leave this tinderbox I’ve made my own as soon as I possibly can,” Tracey told The i Paper.
The 62-year-old says she is not sure where she will go, but is considering a less-visited Spanish region to the north-west, known for its historic sites, excellent food, and peaceful surroundings.
“I am looking at Extremadura-way, and maybe even more north of that,” Tracey said. “Even though the area was hard hit by fires this year, it is an area with far more water than where I am now.”
The Málaga resident said she is tired of living on high alert, keeping her photos and passport in a box near the door, ready to go.
The interior of her concrete house was gutted by wildfire in 2004, and she was forced to live elsewhere for months while it was made liveable again. Since then, she’s been involved in the local government to try to create better fire precautions and is on hand to help out neighbours.
“If I see something sparking up and I know my neighbours are away, I try to get their dogs in my boot before anything serious happens to them,” she said.
This summer’s fire caused widespread destruction, with fire engines, helicopters, forest firefighters and environmental officers deployed to tackle the blaze, according to Andalusia’s plan for wildfire prevention and response.
The cause is still unknown, but Tracey told firefighters that she had seen council workers using metal-bladed strimmers an hour earlier along the road where the fire started, which she believed could have sparked it. The i Paper has contacted Málaga council for comment.
The incident is part of a spate of wildfires that have ignited across Spain in recent years. The European Forest Fire Information System (Effis) calculates that about 400,000 hectares of land have burned in the country so far this year, the worst on record since 1994.
Residents try to extinguish a forest fire in Pareisas, northwestern Spain, this August (Photo: Lalo R. Villar/AP)
Over the summer, firefighting units were sent from Germany to help fight the blazes. About 33,000 people were evacuated from their homes and 43 were arrested on suspicion of starting the fires – a criminal offence in Spain, even if accidental.
Four people, including a firefighter, died. “One of the deaths that affected me was a 55-year-old man who died trying to save his 26 horses, who all died too,” said Tracey. “That one really hit home for me.”
Wildfires have ravaged over a million hectares of land across the EU this year, a record since Effis recording began in 2006. The area destroyed is larger than Cyprus.
Spain, which suffered a 16-day heatwave in mid-August, accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the figure and is the hardest-hit country, with Portugal coming in second and Romania third.
Spain is experiencing more extreme summer heatwaves, which could put off tourists (Credit: AP)
Extreme heat has begun changing when and where tourists want to go, and fires have wrought chaos in popular holiday hotspots.
Andalusia enforces strict laws when it comes to wildfire prevention. Between 1 June and 15 October, burning of natural vegetation, use of motor vehicles outside of a road network and using fire for cooking in camping or recreational areas are prohibited.
But Tracey says it’s not enough to keep her in Malaga. “I wish everyone stood at the forefront of a wildfire so they could see what a monster it is and how quickly it moves,” she said. “They might think twice about risking that barbecue. It’s something you never forget. It’s like a violation going through your soul.
“The thing is, there are no heroes when it comes to fire. You need a plan and don’t think you’ll be able to grab things quickly … Once it knocks on your door, there’s no escaping.”