Two dead and five injured in a fire in Fuengirola

Two people have died and another five have been injured in a house fire in Fuengirola (Málaga, 82,585 inhabitants).

The fire, the cause of which is being investigated, began in a flat on the fifth floor of a building on Avenida Miramar, in the eastern part of the town of Malaga.

Smoke inhalation is the cause of death of the two neighbors, aged 41 and 66 and residents on the sixth floor, when they tried to flee down the stairs, according to sources of the investigation.

Five other people were injured.

Three were transferred to the Costa del Sol Hospital: a 70-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and a 36-year-old man who, after being observed, has been discharged.

The remaining two were treated on the spot by the health services.

"The Fuengirola City Council joins the pain of the affected families, to whom it transmits the sorrow of the entire city", the official account of the consistory has published on Twitter, which has decreed three days of official mourning.

Up to 11 families have been relocated to different parts of the city until it is determined that they can return to their homes.

Dismayed by the sad death of two neighbors in the fire that occurred today, in a residential building on Avenida Miramar, the #Fuengirola City Council has decreed three days of official mourning starting tomorrow, Tuesday, January 10 at 9:00 a.m. hours.

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– Town Hall Fuengirola (@fuengirola) January 9, 2023

Several calls alerted the 112 Andalucía emergency service to the existence of a fire on the terrace of an apartment at number 19 Avenida Miramar.

It was a few minutes after one in the afternoon and the intense smoke coming out of the building could be seen from different parts of the municipality.

After the notice, members of the Fuengirola fire department, as well as Benalmádena and Mijas, as well as health services and various patrols of the Local Police, Civil Guard and National Police, traveled to the scene.

Upon arrival, they found some powerful flames expelling a large amount of smoke from the terrace of a flat on the fifth floor of the building, so the first measure was to evacuate the entire block as a precaution.

“The situation was complicated.

The numerous troops displaced to the area focused on rescuing the people injured by the fire, two of whom died despite the attempts made by the health teams.

Five other people could be rescued.

They were all neighbors of the sixth floor, who had tried to flee by the stairs from the intense smoke generated by the fire.

Smoke inhalation caused the death of a 41-year-old man and a 66-year-old man, both relatives.

Of the five injured, two could be treated by the emergency services right there and another three were evacuated to the Costa del Sol hospital. They continue to be hospitalized there, according to health sources, which indicate that the two ICU patients are "in severe but stable" and the third, who remained under emergency observation,

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The National Police has taken over the investigation, which is trying to clarify the cause of the fire and how it spread to the upper floors.

Agents of the Scientific Police Unit are already working at the scene together with members of the Fuengirola fire brigade, according to sources in the case.

The 11 families that had to leave the building were rehoused in different lodgings and aparthotels by the local social services.

Municipal sources have explained that it is still unknown when they will be able to return to their homes, because it will depend on the technical inspections that are being carried out from the urban planning area together with the firefighters.

As they have affirmed, there are plants very affected by the fire,

It was very intense and even caused the walls of the burned house to collapse.

“We don't know when they will be able to return.

We will not allow access in conditions that are not optimal ”, they have indicated from the consistory.

The Fuengirola City Council, led by Ana Mula (PP), has decreed three days of mourning, which began this Tuesday at 9:00 in the morning.

"Dismayed by the sad death of two neighbors in the fire," the council published on its official Twitter account.

“The Fuengirola City Council adds to the pain of the affected families, to whom it conveys the sorrow of the entire city.

And we wish a speedy recovery to all the residents who have been injured", stressed the municipality, which appreciated the collaboration of the firefighters from the nearby municipalities of Mijas and Benalmádena who participated in the operation.

From the Fuengirola fire department they have wanted to insist that in situations like this the recommendation is to "remain inside the house unless it is yours that is set on fire".

“Doors are usually flame-tight for a long time and smoke can be stopped by covering the cracks with any damp cloth so that it does not enter.

Although anxiety makes it seem like escaping the stairs is the most reliable, it is not.

The survival rate is higher inside the houses”, stressed the local fire chief, José Julián Bueno.