A RAGING fire that tore through Malaga’s Ibis Hotel reignited hours after firefighters first brought the blaze under control, sparking fears the building could collapse.
The blaze broke out at about 1.30am on 25 May and firefighters quickly arrived on the scene.
By the time they arrived, the hotel had begun its emergency evacuation protocol evacuating over 100 guests.
While no staff or guests were injured in the blaze, firefighters have struggled to bring the blaze under control.
The inferno began in the Gran Cafe bar located on the ground floor of the hotel, which has been completely destroyed by the blaze.
Fuelled by wooden panelling and soundproofing insulation, the fire rapidly spread from the ground floor through the first floor of the hotel.
Benito Martinez, who supervised the operation, explained the situation saying, “Basically, the entire restaurant’s decor is made of wood, and that generated a significant heat load that quickly spread.”
Four crews of firefighters battled the flames from aerial ladders and, by the early afternoon, had succeeded in bringing the blaze under control.
They were able to enter the gutted building to search for guests’ documents, passports and medication.
However, everything changed at 3pm when the wind direction changed reigniting the inferno which quickly spread to all four floors of the hotel.
By 6pm, all four floors had collapsed and plumes of smoke were billowing from the roof, leaving the building at risk of total collapse.
Two more firefighting teams arrived on the scene and finally brought the blaze under control after working round the clock for 17 hours.
They continued to work through the night to completely extinguish the inferno.
Forensic teams are expected to assess the damage to the city-centre building today as investigators work to establish the cause of the fire.
For now, the structure remains standing, but firefighters will continue to monitor it closely amid fears it could collapse.
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