Two dead, 24 injured as early-morning fire tears through Magaluf apartment block on Mallorca

The fire and initial response

A fire broke out at approximately 5:20 a.m. on Thursday in a third-floor apartment of the Trianon II building on Calle Martín Ros García in Magaluf, a popular resort area in the municipality of Calvià, Mallorca. The blaze was described as "very violent" by emergency officials. Firefighters from the Calvià and Llucmajor stations were dispatched and arrived to find a powerful fire that made access to the affected area difficult.

At the moment they arrived it was very violent... there was a lot of fire load.

Casualties and evacuation

Two residents of the building died. According to Calvià mayor Juan Antonio Amengual, the victims lived on the ninth floor and were overcome by smoke while attempting to escape down the stairwell. A third person suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation and was admitted to the Clínica Juaneda in critical condition, where they were placed in a hyperbaric chamber. In total, 24 people were injured, including eight firefighters. Four people were transported to hospitals—two to Hospital Son Llàtzer and two to Hospital Son Espases—while others were treated on-site for smoke inhalation.

We are devastated and sad.

The chimney effect

Emergency services director Joan Fornàs and fire chief Xisco Bonnín explained that the stairwell acted as a "chimney," rapidly spreading thick smoke throughout the nine-story building. The intensity of the fire shattered windows and even the door of the apartment where it originated, allowing smoke to travel up the stairwell and the façade. Firefighters used assisted-breathing equipment during the initial entry. Residents were advised to shelter in place on balconies rather than enter the smoke-filled stairwell.

The violence of the fire broke windows.

Fire suppression and aftermath

The fire was extinguished by approximately 6:45 a.m. Firefighters then began ventilating the building. Some residents who had taken refuge on their balconies were still being evacuated later in the morning, though officials said their lives were not in danger. A field hospital was set up on-site to treat those affected. The Calvià town council declared two days of mourning. Social workers were dispatched to assess the need for rehousing displaced residents.

Investigation into the cause

Police are awaiting clearance to enter the building and begin their investigation into the cause of the fire. One resident told media that the occupant of the apartment where the fire started said the refrigerator began to burn and that attempts to extinguish it with a fire extinguisher and water failed. The Mallorca Fire Department indicated the fire originated in the kitchen, but has not yet determined whether an electrical fault in an appliance was responsible.