Investigators enter Ibis hotel but fire reignition risk remains

Ibis hotel fire

Forensic police have determined the safety measures and evidence to preserve in order to access the fire's point of origin

Chus Heredia

Forensic investigators have conducted the first inspection of the Ibis hotel since the relentless fire started on 25 May. They have finally launched the investigation, although the fire has not been declared extinguished.

The police entered the building to prepare for the upcoming procedures, alongside representatives of the property owners. According to municipal sources, they have reviewed the process for clearing the rubble and shoring up the structure.

"Creating safe conditions is crucial to determining the origin of the fire and beginning the investigation," they stated.

They must carefully measure everything to avoid interfering with potential tests. The city council will coordinate the necessary measures at each stage.

In addition to these measures and the perimeter fencing, the entire air conditioning system had to be dismantled, which even required closing the underground tunnel to traffic.

The fire originated in the kitchens of the Le Grand Café restaurant, which had just closed. Firefighters quickly evacuated the entire building with the cooperation of the Ibis staff. Given the ferocity of the flames, the fire department requested reinforcement.

The fire had a high thermal intensity from the beginning. In just two minutes, the cameras in the Santa Isabel area captured a large flame, the result of a deflagration.

The fire spread very quickly, breaching the fire compartments and climbing the building. In the first few hours, after a floor collapsed at a firefighter's feet, they had to change strategy and move all extinguishing efforts to the outside.

Public safety councillor Avelino Barrionuevo explained that the wooden materials inside the café and the sudden surge of oxygen exacerbated the fire and caused countless flare-ups.

The building is still burning more than two weeks later. Not being able to work from inside prevents firefighters from using hoses to break through and extinguish the fire in each section. Thermal cameras are also not entirely helpful, as their images change colour as a surface heats up.