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Watch - Malaga hotel fire leaves building badly damaged
Firefighters say the blaze at the Ibis Málaga Centro is now under control, although crews remain on site after the fire reignited
Incendio en el bar Le Grand Café del Hotel IBIS🔥🏨 que ha quedado completamente destruido.
— 🆘 Encierro Bombero Mlg 🚒 (@encierrobombmlg) May 25, 2026
La estructura del edificio, al parecer de hierro con vigas de madera, así como el material para la insonorización, están dificultando la extinción, actuando casi todas las dotaciones 🚒 https://t.co/WETmpFMKFI pic.twitter.com/knThbymgX1
Firefighters are still at the scene of a major blaze that tore through the Ibis Málaga Centro hotel after it broke out at around 1.26am on Monday, May 25. The fire started in Le Grand Café, located on the ground floor of the hotel on Pasillo de Guimbarda in central Málaga. Thick smoke quickly spread through the building, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 guests in the middle of the night.
Although the fire was initially brought under control, flames flared up again later in the day and reached the upper floors of the hotel, leading to a major reinforcement of emergency crews. By Tuesday morning, Málaga Ayuntamiento confirmed the situation was under control, although firefighters were still carrying out cooling, ventilation and inspection work more than 24 hours after the first emergency call.No injuries or cases of smoke inhalation have been reported, despite the scale of the incident and the dramatic scenes overnight as guests fled the building. Local residents in areas including La Trinidad also reported the smell of smoke lingering well into Monday evening.
Firefighters say the operation has been especially difficult because of the structure of the building and the materials used inside the restaurant. According to Benito Martínez, the firefighter supervising the operation, much of the restaurant’s décor was made from wood and decorative materials that created “a significant heat load” and helped the flames spread quickly.
“Half of the hotel has been affected, partly by the fire and partly by the smoke and heat,” Martínez explained. “Even when we think it’s cooled down, we’ll probably have to return because of flare-ups or smoke coming from somewhere.”
Sources involved in the operation also warned there is a risk of collapse in some parts of the structure. “It’s impossible to enter the building,” one source said, explaining that floors and structural elements had been severely damaged by the heat.
Guests who fled the hotel during the evacuation have still not been allowed back inside to collect their belongings. Firefighters have been trying to recover passports, travel documents and other essentials where possible, although some rooms are believed to have suffered extensive damage.
“We left with only the clothes on our backs,” guest José Alarcón said after being rehoused in another hotel. “At 1.30 in the morning the fire alarm went off and everyone ran downstairs.”
Another guest, Domingo Gil, recalled waking up to “a very loud alarm and flashing lights” before seeing smoke spreading through the building.
Hasta el Jefe de Bomberos ya lo advertía en el año 2017, fecha en la que el Real Cuerpo de Bomberos del @malaga inició una huelga indefinida, que aún perdura, por la situación de abandono y peligro al que nos expone @pacodelatorrep @ppaytomalaga con los recortes en inversión. pic.twitter.com/fV5Z4JwmOl
— 🆘 Encierro Bombero Mlg 🚒 (@encierrobombmlg) May 26, 2026
The scale of the incident also reignited criticism from firefighter unions, who warned Málaga’s fire service had been stretched to its limits after another fire broke out later on Monday morning in the Carretera de Cádiz area, affecting five storage rooms in a residential building. Union representatives claimed all six city fire crews were tied up responding to the two separate emergencies at one stage, leaving no teams immediately available for any further incidents.
Images and videos: Bomberos Málaga
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