Alicante firefighters rescue five from a rooftop who were fleeing a fire

Two homes were destroyed, and six individuals sustained injuries as a result of smoke inhalation, including two juveniles. This is the outcome of a horrifying fire that erupted on Calle Cronista Vivarens in the Carolinas Bajas neighbourhood of Alicante late Monday night, July 28th.

The Alicante City Council Fire Brigade mobilised a first response vehicle, two heavy urban pumps, and two fire ladder trucks, as well as units from the Local and National Police, two basic life support ambulances, and one advanced life support ambulance for a rescue and extinguishing operation that lasted for an hour. The operation was marked by moments of great tension and confusion and was even punctuated by an arrest for an alleged case of domestic violence.

In response to the threat to their safety posed by the flames that had reached their home, five members of a family residing in a tourism flat on the fourth and top floor of a building at 35 Calle Cronista Vivarens sought refuge on the roof terrace. The staircase and, in particular, the light well, were transformed into a form of oven with a chimney as a result of a fire that devoured a lower-floor apartment, which is the source of these flames. Firefighters used the basket of one of the ladder trucks that had been deployed to rescue the five individuals—two women, two children, and a male who was able to ascend the ledge of the adjacent property. Subsequently, they were transported to Doctor Balmis Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, which was initially moderate.

One of the two occupants of the residence where the fire originated was also transported to the aforementioned hospital. According to eyewitnesses, the woman, whose companion the police were searching for, vanished from the scene shortly after the fire began, wearing only pants. This individual may be the pedestrian who, after midnight, crossed the road near the Provincial Auditorium on the nearby Avenida de Jijona and was struck by a vehicle. However, the authorities had not yet confirmed this information.

A man was allegedly assaulting his companion inside the home they lived in on a property near the scene of the fire, and a parallel police intervention resulted in his arrest during the firefighting efforts.

The residents were the ones who informed the deployed citizen security officers of the situation, which was why citizen collaboration was so important.

Upon validating the accuracy of the reported events, the officers entered the building from which they were summoned, handcuffed the alleged perpetrator, and transported him to police headquarters in a patrol vehicle.