Three days of mourning have been declared in Benalmadena following the tragic death of a brother and sister in a ‘brutal’ apartment fire.
The siblings, aged 10 and 15, were killed in the early hours of Thursday when the flat below them caught fire at around 5.30am.
According to local newspaper La Opinion de Malaga, a faulty mobile phone charger is being investigated as a potential cause of the inferno.
The flames tore through the third-floor home in Arroyo de la Miel at around 5.30am, when the first calls to emergency services were made.
The mother of the victims – a boy and a girl – was rushed to hospital in a serious condition, while a firefighter was injured during the rescue operation.
Several police officers were also treated for smoke inhalation.
The blaze broke out in a flat in Arroyo de la Miel, on Calle Onix, prompting a major emergency response and the evacuation of the four-storey residential building.
According to Benalmadena Town Hall, firefighters arrived to find the flames already well advanced, with several apartments affected by the fire.
Rescue teams managed to bring several people to safety, but were unable to save the lives of the two children.
The mother has since been transferred to a specialist burns unit in Sevilla as she continues to fight for her life.
She has been moved to the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, which houses one of Spain’s specialist burns units.
She was initially treated at the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella, where doctors managed to stabilise her after she was rescued with severe burns.
Benalmadena mayor Juan Antonio Lara described the incident as a ‘brutal tragedy’ that had left the town heartbroken.
‘Today, terrible pain has overwhelmed our town,’ he said, adding that the local authority remains focused on the mother’s condition.
He also expressed his condolences to the children’s family and thanked the firefighters and police officers who risked their lives during the rescue.
‘Nobody prepares us to face a loss like this,’ he said. ‘I know the pain and helplessness you are feeling, and I share it completely with you.’
