Malaga firefighter facing disciplinary action over viral video recorded during Ibis hotel blaze

The man filmed himself joking about room rates and smoking inside the gutted hotel while he was on duty attending the blaze

The fire at the Ibis is still burning. (SUR)

11/06/2026 a las 17:58h.

The Royal Fire Brigade has launched disciplinary proceedings against a firefighter who recorded a light-hearted video inside the Ibis hotel in Malaga while the ... building was still on fire.

The video went viral on social media after the officer was filmed making jokes about the state of the fire-damaged hotel.

"Right, Terri, look. This room... hang on... they're renting it out for four euros a night. If you like, you can smoke inside. Just four euros. TV with internet and everything, eh? If you like, I can book it for you," he says at the start of the clip.

He continues: "Three euros for a bottle of champagne, and you can smoke inside too... no problem. A corridor with an emergency exit leading upstairs. Plus it's got a little terrace, you know?"

Municipal sources confirmed to SUR that the incident took place during the officer's working hours while he was carrying out his duties.

The officer must now be formally notified so that he can submit his defence, after which the organisation's management will decide whether to proceed.

Slow-burning fire

The blaze broke out at 1:20am on Monday 25 May and is yet to be fully extinguished, due to the slow-burning nature of the wooden floor structures.

Additionally, crews cannot tackle the blaze from inside the building because of the risk of collapse.

As a result, the property's owners have been instructed to secure the structure, clear the rubble, erect a perimeter fence and completely dismantle the roof air-conditioning system.

Town planning officials and forensic police will not be able to access the site to investigate the cause of the fire until it has been declared fully extinguished.