Michael Coy
A TOWERING inferno sparked by an electrical fault tore through a 12-storey block of flats in Spain’s Malaga last night (Thursday, May 1) – leaving two pensioners fighting for their lives and 15 others rushed to hospital.
Flames erupted around 6.35pm on the seventh floor of the high-rise on Avenida de Europa, engulfing the building in smoke and chaos as desperate residents scrambled to escape the blaze. Witnesses spoke of terrifying scenes, with people trapped and emergency sirens echoing through the streets as firefighters, police and medics flooded the area.
The fire, believed to have started in the living room of a flat owned by an elderly couple, quickly turned deadly. Both are now in critical condition, clinging to life in Carlos Haya Regional Hospital after suffering severe burns.
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Emergency crews evacuated 20 people from the building, with 15 hospitalised for various injuries – from smoke inhalation to burn wounds. Among the injured were a 14-year-old boy, three men aged 35, 69, and 73, and three women aged 33, 55, and 68, all of whom were taken to Carlos Haya. A 40-year-old man and two women aged 65 and 67 were transferred to the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital, while a 14-year-old girl and a 55-year-old man were admitted to the Valle del Guadalhorce Hospital. Two more minors, aged nine and 15, were treated at the Maternal and Child Hospital. Another victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was also taken to hospital.
Firefighters tackled the inferno for hours, while health workers from 061, Local and National Police, and the Málaga Fire Department coordinated rescue efforts in a frantic bid to save lives.
The National Police have now launched a full-scale investigation. Early reports suggest the fire was triggered by a faulty electrical system in the elderly couple’s apartment – with a suspected short circuit in the living room to blame.
Locals described scenes of “pure terror” as flames licked the outside of the building and smoke billowed out of windows. “We saw people waving for help, the heat was unbearable,” said one shaken resident.
