Three forest firefighting units remain on-site along Avenida Las Ramblas de Oleza on Monday to prevent reignition after Sunday’s blaze.
Updated: May 12, 2025 – 4.00 PM
The wildfire that broke out Sunday in Orihuela Costa, near Avenida Las Ramblas de Oleza, scorched three hectares and impacted five homes—four with damage to porches or terraces, and one with damage to its rear façade.
The fire, which started at 6:01 p.m. and was stabilized by 8:40 p.m., kept residents on edge. Fueled by dry vegetation, it spread rapidly from a wooded area toward nearby homes, prompting the activation of Level 1 of the Special Forest Fire Plan due to its proximity to residential areas. Authorities evacuated 50 residents from the Loira housing community as a precaution.
Two aircraft and a substantial ground response were deployed, including firefighting units from the Torrevieja and Almoradí stations, four forest fire crews, Civil Protection, Orihuela Emergency Services, and Local Police.
Despite the heavy response, the flames were not fully controlled until 11:12 p.m.—five hours after the outbreak. From the scene, Mayor Pepe Vegara and Emergency Councilor Víctor Valverde confirmed the activation of the Red Cross Emergency Response Team to set up a preventive shelter, in case displaced residents needed it overnight.
Ultimately, no one used the temporary shelter, though some residents chose to stay in hotels out of caution. As of Monday, three firefighting units remain on site to ensure the fire doesn’t reignite.
The incident has heightened concern along the coast, where residents are raising alarms about “neglect,” “abandonment,” and a “lack of maintenance and prevention” in areas overgrown with dry brush. With rising temperatures expected soon, locals are once again calling for the urgent clearing of ravines, gardens, and streets.
Another Fire Last Year
The cause of this fire is still unknown, but it occurred near the site of another blaze in June of last year, near the Tajo-Segura canal between Las Ramblas Golf and Campoamor. That fire reached within 150 meters of homes, 15 meters from a residential gas tank, and just 30 meters from the nearest golf hole—whose sprinklers were turned on full blast to act as a firebreak. Though it was initially controlled, that blaze later reignited and ultimately burned 10 hectares. It narrowly missed the protected landscape of Sierra Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor and a planned development area (PAU 5) under review by the regional government for possible declassification.
Miguel Ángel Pavón, president of Amigos de Sierra Escalona (ASE), warned at the time that the fire might be used to justify construction in what was essentially a forested zone. Although technically designated as developable land, the area featured pine and Mediterranean shrub vegetation—classifying it as forest land in practice. As such, it falls outside the scope of both national and Valencian forestry laws, which prohibit reclassifying fire-damaged forest land for urban use for 30 years.
Both ASE and the Friends of the Wetlands of Southern Alicante (AHSA) have called for the PAU 5 area to be included within the boundaries of the Sierra Escalona natural park and formally reclassified to prevent future development.
