More than 300 people had to be evacuated on Friday afternoon, May 29, from the HTOP Caleta Palace hotel in Platja d'Aro due to a fire that originated in a room on the third floor. The Bombers de la Generalitat mobilized nine units after receiving the alert at 7:25 p.m. via 112, while the SEM attended to three people for smoke inhalation.
The fire did not cause serious personal injuries, but it forced the complete evacuation of the establishment for about two hours. The origin of the fire, moreover, was not in a building installation or a common area, but in the overload of the battery of a mobile phone that was plugged in in a room.
The fire started on the third floor due to the battery of a plugged-in mobile phone
From the outside, several guests saw smoke coming from the affected area. Juan Ramón Landa, a member of a group of 54 retirees from the San Veremundo Association of Villatuerta staying at the hotel, explained that the alarm sounded around 7:30 p.m.
"Supposedly it was some mobile phone charger or something they hadn't unplugged" - Juan Ramón Landa, member of the group of 54 retirees from the San Veremundo Association of Villatuerta
Landa also recounted that during the intervention there were several emergency vehicles next to the establishment. In his description, smoke could be seen concentrated on the third floor from the outside, where the fire started.
The action of the emergency services prevented the incident from escalating. The SEM attended to three people with symptoms of smoke inhalation, which were the most significant effects recorded during the fire.
Guests returned to the hotel at 9:30 p.m. and the trip continued without changes
During the evacuation, customers remained outside the building until 9:30 p.m. Afterwards, the hotel remained operational and relocated to other floors the people who occupied the rooms affected by smoke and water.
"They kept us on the street from half past seven to half past nine. In the end, it was more of a scare than anything, because three people had a point of smoke intoxication. That was the most serious thing that happened" - Juan Ramón Landa, member of the group of 54 retirees from the San Veremundo Association of Villatuerta
Once the return was authorized, the lodgers were able to continue the night normally within the establishment. Landa explained that at 9:30 PM they were informed that there was no need to look for another place to dine or sleep outside, so they went down to the dining room and spent the night at the hotel.
The Navarrese group that is in Platja d'Aro also maintains the program planned for the coming days. Their itinerary includes visits to Roses, Cadaqués, and the Valley of Núria, in addition to a trip to Tossa de Mar before returning to Navarra on June 2.
Juan Ramón Landa summarized the outcome with a phrase that put the final scope of the incident into perspective: "It all turned out to be a scare and we are continuing with the trip and with the excursion of the week we have here."