Two dead and 28 injured in a fire in Magaluf due to a short circuit in a refrigerator

PalmaTwo people died this Thursday early in the morning in a fire that broke out at 5.23 am in a residential building in Magaluf, in the Mallorcan municipality of Calvià, where several people were also injured. The Civil Guard reported that the deceased are a 58-year-old man of Argentine nationality and a woman who has not yet been identified. They also added that they did not live together, but were in different homes at the time of the fire.

According to health sources, four people had to be transferred to hospitals as a result of the fire, which broke out in the Trianon II building at number 18 Martín Ros García street, in the leisure area of Punta Balena (Magaluf). According to data provided by emergency services early this morning, of the total number of evacuated injured, one was transferred to Son Llàtzer hospital; two, to Son Espases hospital, both in Palma, and the fourth, in a more serious condition, is admitted to a hyperbaric chamber at the Juaneda Clinic, due to breathing difficulties caused by smoke inhalation.

In addition, another 24 people affected by the fire have been attended by the 061 paramedics deployed to the scene, although they did not require transfer or hospital admission in the end. Furthermore, a total of 36 residents of the apartment block have been temporarily rehoused in local hotels.

During the early hours of the morning, several people were confined inside the building but safe, and once the firefighters had finished ventilating the building, they were evacuated without any risk and were attended at the field hospital set up at the entrance of the building.

The initial investigations suggest that the possible cause of the fire, which started on the third floor of the building, was an electrical fault in the home's refrigerator. In fact, it was the owner of the home who explained it to the State security forces and bodies: "The refrigerator caught fire, I tried to put out the flames with an extinguisher and with water, and when I saw I couldn't, I ran out of the home," he explained.

In the firefighting efforts, which burned the building for several hours and was declared extinguished at seven in the morning, personnel from the Calvià and Llucmajor island fire service stations participated. During the work to extinguish the fire, eight firefighters required medical attention and were assisted on site by the medical teams. None of the firefighters suffered serious injuries, however, nor were they transferred to any hospital center.

The mayor of Calvià, Juan Antonio Amengual, went to the scene of the events to follow the evolution of the rescue and firefighting tasks firsthand. "It is a very sad day," he remarked, then went on to praise the work of the firefighters who worked on the fire. In fact, Amengual assured that "they did a spectacular job".

In his statements to the media, the Calvià mayor recalled that in the case of fires in large buildings, residents "must stay inside the home and go out onto the balcony, while waiting for the firefighters to arrive". According to him, this information is of great importance, as most of the injured and the two deceased would have gone out into the communal staircase to try to escape when the fire caught them.

Finally, Amengual explained that the City Council has already activated the protocol to assist both victims and their families and "help them with whatever is necessary".

For his part, the island director of Emergencies, Joan Fornàs, explained that when the firefighters arrived, they found a "very violent" fire. The smoke moved through the community staircase, which acted like a chimney and rose throughout the building.

Marga Prohens explained in a message on the social network X that she is in continuous contact with the mayor of Calvià and the heads of the emergency services and that she is following the case with "concern". "My condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, all my support to the affected people and my gratitude to the firefighters and health professionals for their quick response," she assured.

Armengol, like Prohens, has also used the social network X to send encouragement and assure that she is following "with concern" the consequences of the tragic fire in the Trianón building in Calvià. The President of the Congress of Deputies has taken advantage of the tweet to send "all my affection and support to the families of the victims, to the injured, and to all the neighbors affected by this tragedy" and has thanked the work of the emergency services "for their rapid action, their professionalism, and their dedication in such difficult times".

Llorenç Galmés has also joined the expressions of support for the victims' families of the fire and has wished a speedy recovery to "all affected persons". He did so moments before the start of the plenary session of the Consell de Mallorca this Thursday, where he also thanked "the swift action of all security and emergency bodies and forces that have intervened in this operation". "In such difficult times, their dedication and vocation for service are an example for all of society", he stated.

Calvià decrees two days of mourning

The Calvià Town Hall has decreed two days of official mourning for the death of two people in the fire. The official mourning has already come into effect and will last for two days. During this period, the flags of the municipal buildings will fly at half-mast and institutional events will be marked by expressions of condolence, such as the minute of silence planned for this Friday's graduation at the Bendinat institute.