The Court of First Instance number 3 in Vélez-Málaga has issued a ruling compelling an electric company to compensate a farmer for damages sustained on his property. The incident, a forest fire that occurred on August 29, 2020, in the municipality of Moclinejo, has been attributed to inadequate maintenance of an electrical line.
The judicial decision, issued on April 22, 2026, and notified on May 4, establishes that the fire began due to contact between the line's conductors and nearby vegetation, specifically a fig tree, which created an electrical arc. This event caused significant damage to the plaintiff's agricultural operation, affecting avocado, mango, and fig crops, some of which were over a decade old and in full productive yield.
During the legal proceedings, the magistrate gave greater credibility to the report from the Forest Fire Investigation Brigade, which directly pointed to the power grid as the cause of the disaster. This report, supported by documentary evidence and testimonies, concluded that there was a clear deficiency in maintenance and vegetation clearing beneath the line's supports.
“"The judgment fully accepts the valuation presented by the plaintiff's expert, which includes both material damages and the loss of future crop production, as these were trees in their full productive phase."
The electric company, for its part, argued that the fire could have been caused by external factors, such as a poorly extinguished bonfire, based on its own expert reports. However, the court dismissed this version, considering the investigation conducted by the public body to be more consistent and objective.
The compensation set amounts to 30,454.95 euros, a figure that includes both material damages and the estimated loss of future crop production. In addition to this amount, the company must cover legal interest and court costs. The judgment is not final and can be appealed before the Provincial Court of Málaga within 20 days.
