The fire at the Ibis hotel, which lasted for 47 days, will be the subject of debate in the Urban Planning Commission of the Málaga City Council. The PSOE is demanding a technical committee to clarify what happened.
The fire at the Ibis hotel, which kept the city of Málaga on edge for 47 days, reaches the Urban Planning, Mobility and Security Commission of the City Council this Monday. The municipal socialist group has registered a motion to create a technical investigation committee to analyse the incident.
An unprecedented urban emergency
The fire originated in the early hours of May 25 at Le Grand Café, an establishment located on the ground floor of the hotel. The flames spread rapidly through the wooden coffered ceiling of the building, a material that, according to experts, acted as fuel and hindered extinguishing efforts.
Air currents along the course of the Guadalmedina river repeatedly reignited the hotspots. The director of the Chair of Emergencies and Disasters at the University of Málaga, Jesús Miranda, compared the phenomenon to a “barbecue”: “From the outside, it looks extinguished, but inside it remains glowing.”
The firefighting operation remained permanently in place for 47 days in the Guimbarda corridor. It was not until July 11 that the Security area announced the withdrawal of the operation, as reported on social media.
The PSOE's demands
The socialist spokesperson in the City Council, Mariano Ruiz Araujo, has emphasised the need to “analyze with absolute technical rigor one of the most complex urban emergencies the city has faced in recent years.” The motion, which will be defended by councilman Salvador Trujillo, responsible for Security in the PSOE, calls for a thorough report to clarify the factors that contributed to the prolonged duration of the fire.
Among the key points, the socialists demand to evaluate whether the use of drones, thermal cameras and other support systems was sufficient. They also call for an analysis of the working conditions of firefighters, including the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the relief systems, and the decontamination protocols.
Ruiz Araujo has reminded that “public administrations have the unavoidable obligation to learn from exceptional situations.” Transparency and technical evaluation, he said, “are essential elements to strengthen our future reaction capacity and ensure maximum safety for both citizens and professionals.”
The future of the hotel and the causes of the fire
The hotel, owned by the Accor group, had a license to increase the height of the building by three floors. The mayor, Francisco de la Torre, has opened the door to its demolition to build a new hotel, “without wooden structures” and “with even higher standards.”
The causes of the fire, which are believed to be located in the kitchens of Le Grand Café, have not yet been disclosed. The forensic police continue to analyse the remains to determine the exact origin of the flames.
The PSOE hopes that the investigation committee will be established “immediately” and that its conclusions will serve to improve emergency protocols in the city. The motion will be debated this Monday in the relevant commission.
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