Costa Blanca

Squatter arrested after setting fire to a house in Alicante

A 64-year-old man has been arrested by the National Police in Alicante for his purported involvement in a fire that broke out on the fifth floor of a building situated in the northern region of the city. The individual arrested was residing at the residence illegally, without paying rent, and had a prior record of other offences.

Despite the prompt evacuation of the building, two individuals required treatment for smoke inhalation. According to a statement from the Superior Police Headquarters, both individuals were discharged from the hospital on the same day. The statement also acknowledged that the material damage was “substantial,” although it has not yet been evaluated.

The National Police Provincial Citizen Security Brigade’s on-duty alerts detected a fire on the fifth floor of a building in the northern part of Alicante at approximately 3:30 p.m. on April 29th. A security cordon was promptly erected around the building’s perimeter, allowing firefighters, the Alicante Local Police, and medical assistance to remain inside.

The Emergency Services and Local Police evacuated the entire afflicted building during the intervention, establishing a secure area where residents were provided with assistance by the emergency services.

The National Police endeavoured to identify the proprietor of the apartment from which the fire originated. He stated that a man had resided in the house for an extended period of time, had ceased to pay rent, and had continued to inhabit it as a squatter.

He clarified that legal proceedings were currently underway to enforce his eviction, which was scheduled for early May. The proprietor also informed the officers that, due to the proximity of the vacancy date, he suspected that the tenant may have intentionally set the fire to damage the property before departing.

The tenants’ involvement in numerous prior incidents rendered them “convinced” that the tenant was responsible for the fire, as evidenced by the testimony of building residents during the subsequent investigation.

After extinguishing the fire, we verified that the resident was not at home at the time of the incident. In such instances, the Provincial Forensic Police Brigade was summoned to conduct a technical and police inspection of the residence, as per the established procedure.

Simultaneously, the National Police initiated a search operation, as they suspected that the resident was directly responsible for the fire’s inception. He was promptly apprehended while attempting to re-enter the burned-out home in the middle of the afternoon.

The individual who was apprehended has a criminal record for other offences and will be presented to the Alicante Investigative Court in the near future.

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Related Topics:Alicante Court Emergency Hospital Local National Police

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Torrevieja Local Police remove e-scooters

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Two helicopter rescues in a single morning of two injured climbers in the Muela and Orihuela mountain ranges

On the first day of May, firefighters rescued a man who was ascending the Black Wall on the Piti Route in the Sierra de la Muela in Orihuela.

The officers responded to the call at 10:17 a.m. on Thursday and provided assistance to a man who had been struck, resulting in facial injuries and leg discomfort that impeded his ability to continue his ascent.

The Provincial Consortium dispatched a rescue helicopter, which landed to enable the rescuers to administer treatment. A crane was employed to lift the injured man to the ground and convey him to the Vega Baja Hospital helipad after the helicopter was re-entered the air. At 2:11 p.m., the operation concluded four hours later.

In the meantime, at 1:11 p.m., another request was received to rescue a woman in the Pared de Ana climbing area, which is located near the Bonanza pine forest in the Sierra de Orihuela. The woman sustained injuries such as a pneumothorax, a fractured scapula, ribs, tibia, and fibula after being left hanging approximately 150 metres high as a result of rockfalls. She also struck the wall. At 3:47 p.m., she was also evacuated to the helipad of the regional hospital.

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Otters spotted in Guardamar del Segura

The province of Alicante has observed otters. This population is one of the most recent discoveries in the southern region of the province, where numerous specimens of this European mammal have been identified in the Segura River areas. The populations are situated between Bajo Vinalopó and Vega Baja.

The Keuper Environmental Association and the Association for Rural Development of Camp d’Elx-ADR have identified the presence of these mammals in the municipality of Guardamar del Segura. As part of the ‘Lutra Lutra’ Project, which concentrates on the study of otters, they have installed camera devices.

The discovery of numerous specimens has been made possible by the cameras deployed in the Segura River as it passes through Guardamar and in the network of ditches and canals that lead up to the El Hondo Natural Park in Elche-Crevillent. According to the Keuper association, these otters have been observed at the weir and ancient flour mill of Sant Antonio, which are situated in the old river branch and are only one kilometre from the sea.

The environmental association elucidates that this mammal has successfully recolonised the Segura River and the system of ditches, canals, and reservoirs in El Hondo Natural Park. The drainage and rehabilitation work in the area has facilitated the discovery of these specimens.

The initiative is currently in the process of advancing to the next phase, during which members and volunteers conduct transects to identify potential tracks and droppings. The Agrochemistry Department of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche will collect and analyse them to ascertain the impact and abundance of microplastics in the diet of this nocturnal and elusive mammal.

This initiative is a component of the collaboration agreement between the Keuper Environmental Association, the Association for Rural Development of Camp d’Elx-ADR, and the LIBERA initiative, which is promoted by SEO/BirdLife in partnership with Ecoembes.