An electric vehicle belonging to the local council caught fire on Monday 29th June, in the heart of Calpe, creating a massive column of smoke that was visible from multiple points across the municipality.
The incident occurred shortly before 7:00 pm on Avenida de Ifach, right in front of the Calpe Town Hall facade, whilst the vehicle was connected to a charging point. The fire started with a dense grey smoke followed by several minor detonations, causing alarm among nearby pedestrians in the busy area.
Local Police officers quickly arrived at the scene, cordoning off the perimeter and closing the road to traffic to ensure the safety of pedestrians and passing vehicles. An officer also managed to safely move another municipal vehicle parked adjacent to the burning car to prevent the flames from spreading.
Civil Protection teams were the first emergency services to tackle the fire, deploying a motorised pump unit to suppress the flames and cool the surrounding area. Their quick intervention prevented the fire from damaging nearby trees or the town hall building. Firefighters from the Alicante Provincial Consortium subsequently arrived to complete the extinguishing work, bringing the situation fully under control by 7:30 pm.
The emergency services confirmed that no one was injured during the incident, and no property damage was reported other than the total destruction of the municipal electric vehicle. The precise cause of the fire remains unknown.
