In what is perhaps the biggest fire-related incident of the kind in recent years, some 80 boats of varying sizes have been destroyed in a marina in Marbella, Spain. The fire is now under control.
The first alarms sounded at 7 p.m. yesterday, January 11, 2023, when a storage and repairs facility at the La Bajadilla Fishermen’s marina in Marbella, Spain, caught on fire. The flames never went beyond this single building to spread to other structures or nearby vessels, and that is perhaps the only silver lining of the story. That, and the fact that no one was injured.
The bad news is that the fire reportedly consumed everything inside – and it was a lot, according to local reports.
Authorities have confirmed that over 30 firemen and trucks, with police, medical personnel, and volunteers were dispatched on site. Marbella Mayor Angela Munoz also arrived at a later hour, to oversee the operation. The fire was contained by 10.30 p.m. following a difficult intervention, and as of this morning, it remains extinguished. Firemen are now waiting for the heat to go down so they can launch the official investigation into the causes of the fire.
Unconfirmed local reports note that the fire probably started in the repair shop inside the building. Due to the late hour, everyone had gone home, so the first call about the fire went out when it had already spread and could be observed from the outside. On the other hand, the fact that the place was empty also means no reported injuries.
The facility is a storage unit and repair shop for boats, offering winterizing services and dry storage, boat and gear rentals, and other services for boat owners. The same local reports note that some 100 pleasure craft of varying lengths (6 to 12 meters / 20 to 40 feet) and nautical sports equipment were probably inside the building when the fire broke out and that at least 80 of these pleasure craft were destroyed or otherwise seriously damaged. Authorities have not yet confirmed any of this, as the investigation is ongoing.
British media claims that many of the owners are from the UK and that authorities have already started getting in touch with them. Damages are believed to be in the many millions of euros, but more details are bound to emerge in the following days, when authorities release the first findings of the investigation.
The videos available at the bottom of the page offer a glimpse of the scene and provides an appreciation of the scale of the incident. Because the wind was blowing out at sea, residents on land were not affected, since the wind carried the heavy smoke away.
???? Una treintena de efectivos de Bomberos trabajan en estos momentos en la extinción de un incendio declarado en una nave de Marina #Marbella, en el Puerto de La Bajadilla
Policía Local,Protección Civil y servicios sanitarios completan el amplio dispositivo desplegado en la zona pic.twitter.com/6sO0IWVj2g
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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