A man has been injured and dozens of tourists evacuated after an explosion at a Costa hotel. Part of the fifth floor of the four-star Olas Hotel in the Costa Tropical resort of Almunecar around 50 miles east of Malaga was badly damaged in the blast.
Local mayor Juan Jose Ruiz Joya said it was a “miracle” none of the 44 guests affected were killed or injured. He said: “The area most affected was unoccupied at the time, which prevented a greater tragedy. We should be relieved nothing serious happened despite the explosion, which was quite powerful. The explosion caused part of the roof to collapse onto the street, but this did not result in any accidents either. The damage was mainly to property.”
The incident happened at the popular holiday hotel which was running 60 percent to its capacity with more guests starting to arrive for the start of the Easter break.
The fire occurred when workers from energy firm Repsol were refilling fuel tanks for the establishment’s boiler on the terrace. Flames rapidly swept through the top floor, sending a towering column of smoke into the sky that could be seen from miles away.
Emergency crews worked alongside hotel staff to evacuate guests while firefighters battled the blaze. The injured man was the driver of the propane gas truck and was transported to Santa Ana Hospital in nearby Motril.
Two firefighters were also treated for the effects of smoke inhalation.
A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre said: “One person has been injured following an explosion that occurred yesterday on the roof of a hotel in Almunecar, in the province of Granada. At 1.10pm, the emergency line received the first of nearly fifteen calls reporting an explosion on the roof of a five-storey hotel on a street called Avenida de Europa.
“A mobile intensive care unit and a medical team were mobilised, as well as the Civil Guard, the Provincial Fire Brigade Consortium and the Local Police.
“Two volunteers from the Almunecar Local Civil Protection Group also travelled to the scene in a vehicle. The injured person was the individual who was refilling the boiler with gas in the laundry room on the fifth floor. He suffered head injuries.
“The incident caused material damage to the top floor of the building and led to the precautionary evacuation of guests.”
