The Guardia Civil are investigating whether a fire that struck a block of terraced properties in El Campello on Tuesday morning, 18th August, was started deliberately, according to police sources. The blaze broke out in a three-storey family house, forcing the preventive evacuation of several families from neighbouring homes, as reported by the Alicante Provincial Firefighters Consortium.
The emergency created tense moments due to the intensity of the flames and initial concerns that people might be trapped inside. However, firefighters ultimately confirmed that no one was caught in the fire.
The emergency service received the alert at 10:03 am regarding a house located at number 8 Calle Muro, in the Albayna urbanisation, within an area of the municipality known as Poble Nou. The fire originated on the second floor and, upon the arrival of emergency crews, a large column of smoke was visible and spreading towards adjacent houses. Firefighters prioritized extinguishing the blaze while simultaneously preventing it from expanding to nearby properties. Two families were evacuated from their homes as a safety precaution.
Emergency response teams from the San Vicente station attended the scene, including a sub-officer, a sergeant, two corporals, and 14 firefighters. They deployed a command vehicle, two heavy urban pumpers, a heavy nurse tanker, an auto-ladder vehicle, and a mobile standby unit from L’Alacantí. Officers from the Guardia Civil, Local Police, and health services were also present, alongside the mayor, Juan Berenguer, and councillors Cristian Palomares and Marcos Martínez.
No injuries have been reported. During the operation, several neighbours raised concerns that occupants of the affected house could not be located, but they were found safe shortly afterwards.
The townhouse sustained severe damage from the fire and smoke, preventing Judicial Police officers from entering the interior early on Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters brought the blaze under control by 10:39 am, although operations continued on site. According to El Campello Town Hall, the flames destroyed the property where the fire began and caused damage to two neighbouring homes, which is yet to be fully assessed.
A firefighting crew will remain on site to manage potential flare-ups. The Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police team from San Juan has launched an investigation to establish the cause and determine if the fire was arson, supported by the Guardia Civil Fire Investigation Team from Valencia.
Additionally, another suspected arson attack occurred earlier on Tuesday morning at a green waste storage site near the Enric Valor secondary school in El Campello. The flames spread to a small adjacent hillside, but no injuries were reported.
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