The Full Council of the Diputación de Málaga (the provincial council) confirmed on Wednesday the permanent closure of the Provincial Fire Consortium (CPB) station in Manilva, endorsing its relocation to the Estepona fire station. The decision came after the rejection of motions submitted by PSOE, Con Málaga and Vox, which called for the service to remain operational while a new facility is built.
During the session, the mayor of Manilva, Mario Jiménez, spoke from the Mayors’ Platform to express his municipality’s opposition to the closure. Despite this, the majority of the PP provincial governing team held firm, justifying the closure on the basis of technical reports and occupational health problems at the current facilities.
Unanimous opposition in defence of the service
From the opposition, councillor Antonio Navarro (PSOE) criticised the fact that the dismantling of the station took place barely a day after the demonstration in Manilva protesting against the closure. He noted that the measure will considerably increase response times in the area.
For his part, Juan Márquez (Con Málaga) reproached the governing team for not having sought alternative solutions and asked that all the responsibility not be passed on to the town halls, which have been asked for land for the future fire station.
From Vox, spokesman Antonio Luna recalled that the whole Manilva municipal corporation has unanimously backed the continuation of the station, and warned of the risk its closure poses in an area whose population multiplies during the summer.
The Provincial Council insists: “It is a matter of workplace safety”
In his address, the councillor responsible for the CPB, Manuel Marmolejo, defended the closure citing “serious structural deficiencies”, including the risk of chemical exposure, obstacles at emergency exits and a lack of minimum conditions. He insisted that the priority is to protect the workers, and stated that the move to Estepona will guarantee an effective service.
Marmolejo denied that the decision is political and recalled that closing this station was already considered in 2016. He also stated that Manilva is not among the stations with the highest number of call-outs and that other municipalities in the province have similar or longer response times.
Frustration in Manilva and a call for dialogue
Both PSOE and Con Málaga raised their tone in the second round of speeches and asked for more transparent explanations of the reasons for the closure. Vox called for genuine dialogue with Manilva Town Hall to seek a middle-ground solution.
The president of the Diputación, Francisco Salado, spoke to recall that there had been previous meetings with the former mayor of Manilva from the PP, Jose Manuel Fernandez, attended by councillors from the current governing team, at which the roadmap was already set out. He argued that the governing team’s decisions are backed by technical reports and not by party-political interests, and said that work is being done for the safety of the whole province, whoever is in government.
With this vote, the Diputación closes the door on keeping the station in operation, at least for now, although the commitment to build a new fire station as soon as municipal land becomes available in Manilva or Casares has been reiterated. In the meantime, the service will be covered from Estepona, despite warnings about longer response times in a tourist area at the height of the high season.
The station reopens its doors this very morning… to finish collecting its belongings
As the council meeting at the Diputación was ending, our newsroom received comments from excited residents and photos of fire vehicles returning and the doors of the Manilva fire station reopening. Sources consulted by this newsroom confirm that the crews came only to finish moving their belongings and the odd household appliance to the Estepona station, which confirms the total dismantling of the facilities and their closure.
