Mason Jones (Reporter)
A SERIOUS fire which started during a town hall firework display destroyed two and half acres of land last night.
The blaze burned dangerously close to a residential area in Benalmadena.
Fire crews from Benalmadena, Malaga, Torremolinos and Mijas areas extinguished the majority of the blaze within two hours.
One resident claimed officials were ‘launching fireworks everywhere’ during the 15-minute display.
Expat Jeremy Standley, 42, a professional photographer who lives on the street of the incident said: “It wasn’t a question of if it will happen but a question of when.
“The trees caught fire and if the wind hadn’t died down the houses would have gone up too.”
A statement from Benalmadena Town Hall today said: “The town hall is not responsible for the fire.
“The company we used to organise the display guaranteed there would be no accidents. Someone even asked the company about the high winds yesterday and they said it would be safe,” it went on.
Residents threw buckets of water in attempt to douse the flames and evacuated anyone still inside their home.
One witness described a ‘total lack of communication’ between the police and fire brigade as the fire spread at midnight.
You cannot “guarantee” that there will not be any “accidents” !