Watch: Forest fire takes hold in Malaga’s Alhaurin el Grande as helicopter tackles blaze and thick black smoke billows into the sky [Video]

A FOREST fire has been declared in the Malaga town of Alhaurin el Grande.

According to Andalucia’s firefighting service INFOCA, a ‘heavy duty’ helicopter has been roped in to drop water from above.

In its latest update, the service said the extinction of the fire was ‘evolving favourably’.

There are at least two forest fire ground units battling the inferno.

The flames were first reported at around 1.30pm.

Video footage shared online shows a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the air.