Four British citizens arrested after raging fire causes panic in Magaluf hotel
Local police confirmed that four British citizens had been arrested over a fire that caused widespread panic in the Hotel BH Mallorca in Magaluf, Spain on Sunday, May 20. A Civil Guard source said: “Two men and two women have been held on suspicion of starting the fire. They are thought to have been messing around with an aerosol and a lighter.”
The hotel is located in the Avenida de las Palmeras area of the town in Mallorca in a region which is infamous reputation for its raucous party scene. Footage of the incident shows a room at the hotel engulfed in flames. Tourists are heard in the background screaming for others to “get out.”
People are seen rushing from their rooms in varying states of panic while the raging inferno rips apart the hotel complex. Thick black smoke is seen billowing from the apartment where the fire started. At least seven people were rescued from the hotel by firefighters who were commended for their speedy rescue.
Hazel Bromiley, a customer of the hotel from Chorley, Lancashire, tweeted: "Literally in shock that this happened at our hotel #bhmallorca." There were screams and shouts of panic as the crowd noticed one of the hotel guests leaving the room directly below the one on fire. A number of people were heard screaming while waiting for him to leave the compromised area.
Several people, including three Civil Guards, reportedly needed treatment for smoke inhalation due to exposure to harmful fumes from the fire. It is not immediately clear as of yet whether the suspects have already been produced before a judge for a closed court hearing, according to a report by the Sun. It is also unclear whether the tourists may face jail time.
The judge will be deciding whether to remand the accused individuals in custody or release them on bail. The court will also need to review the evidence against them to try to decide whether they acted deliberately in a premeditated case of arson or were merely indulging in a drunken prank that got out of hand.
The names of the four tourists who have been arrested have not been released. They are believed to be in their twenties. Their antics luckily did not leave any permanent injuries either to themselves or to their fellow guests. The hotel is particularly popular among British holiday-makers.
This is not the first time that British tourists have disrupted the peace of Magaluf. Expecting trouble once the tourist season begins in the earnest, Magaluf has decided to hit misbehaving British tourists with on-the-spot penalties this summer. Any holidaymaker involved in rowdy scenes will now have to pay 400 euros instead of the 100 euros of 2017 and 500 euros ( a five-fold increase) for any breach of the peace involving alcohol, reports the Daily Mail. The Calvia council, which covers all the main tourist hotspots in and around Magaluf, has published a revised list of 16 existing sanctions that will be increased in price.
A number of guests were trapped on the balconies of their rooms. Firefighters were forced to use extendable ladders to bring them out. Though the incident did not have any fatalities, the situation may have turned out much worse if it were not for the prompt response by emergency services.