Firework blamed for New Year's Eve Malaga city flat blaze
The fire spread to the terrace of the property, where a couple in their eighties and one of their daughters were sleeping
A couple in their eighties and their daughter had to be rescued from a Malaga city flat after it was engulfed in flames on New Year's Eve.
A quick response by the flat's owner, who tackled the fire with an extinguisher, together with the rapid arrival of the fire brigade, have been thanked for preventing the flames from spreading out of control.
But despite their best efforts, the flames and smoke caused damage to the property.
After talking to eyewitnesses, investigators are working on the theory that the blaze was started by a firework rocket, which ended up on the terrace of the house after being launched from the street below.
The fire broke out at around 3 a.m. in a building on the intersection of Avenida de Europa and Juan XXIII. The 112-Andalusia emergency system received several calls raising the alarm and firefighters, Local Police, National Police and 061 workers were deployed.
In the flat, which is located on the sixth floor of the block, slept a married couple consisting of an 81-year-old woman and an 82-year-old man, both with different disabilities and in the case of her, with reduced mobility. With them was one of their daughters, who had stayed with her parents for New Year's Eve.
Mother and daughter were suddenly awoken by a sound they described as an explosion. They both went to a window in the flat to find out what was happening as they smelled a strong odour of smoke in the building. When they looked out onto the street, they saw neighbours looking onto their terrace, which confirmed to them that the fire was in their own house.
The daughter woke the father, who was still asleep because he is hard of hearing and had not heard the noise. The man had a fire extinguisher in the house and immediately used it to try to contain the flames, which had spread to the balcony and were already affecting the curtains in the living room.
A few moments later, the first fire brigade arrived and used a vehicle with a ladder to reach the terrace from the outside and extinguish the fire. The family were rescued without needing to be taken to hospital. They were treated at the scene by the 061 medical team.
A large group of young people had gathered in the adjoining house to celebrate New Year's Eve. They claimed to have witnessed what happened and said - first to the family concerned and then to the police and fire brigade - that the fire was caused by a firework device - a rocket or a flare - launched from the street, which is currently under investigation.
