Malaga firefighters bring Ibis hotel fire under control

112 incident

Malaga firefighters bring Ibis hotel fire under control

Three permanent fire crews are on standby to cool down the area and the Avenida de Fatima tunnel is open to traffic

Añádenos en Google The building that houses the Ibis hotel and Le Gran Café in Malaga after the fire on Monday; in the circle, councillor Avelino Barrionuevo. (Pedro J. Quero)

Rossel Aparicio

Malaga

26/05/2026 a las 13:30h.

Malaga city centre woke up on Tuesday with the smell of smoke still lingering in the air. The fire department had finally managed to bring under control the fire that started in the building of the Ibis hotel and the emblematic Le Grand Café in the early hours of Monday.

The fire has completely destroyed both establishments, as Malaga city council confirmed on Tuesday morning. The initial hypothesis is that it started from the café.

Security councillor Avelino Barrionuevo confirmed that the fire is "practically extinguished" and that three fire crews are working tirelessly at the scene to cool down the area. The tunnel on Avenida de Fátima has reopened to traffic.

"The fire started in the early hours of Monday, at around 1.24am, presumably inside the café. Once oxygen entered, as a result of the heat and the heating of the windows, the fire spread," Barrionuevo said in a press release.

The hotel's alarms went off, activating the self-protection plan. "With the help of employees, security personnel and the Local Police, they immediately evacuated the building and took the guests to a safe area," the councillor said.

Related story

• 112 incident

  • Massive fire in Malaga city centre forces complete hotel evacuation and closure of several streets

  Juan Cano

The guests had to initially move to another hotel (Málaga Centro), but they have since relocated to other establishments in the city.

Barrionuevo pointed out how complex the firefighters' work was. "A difficult to contain fire because the structure inside was made of wood, which made it difficult to tackle from the inside. We had to extinguish it from the outside using aerial ladders and pumps," the councillor explained.

Firefighters

According to Barrionuevo, as soon as the firefighters finish with the cooling work, the scientific police will launch an investigation into the causes of the fire.

Throughout the night, three crews remained at the scene, with three fire engines, two ladder trucks, three water tankers and five light vehicles.

"Between four and six crews focused on extinguishing this fire, with additional support crews to cover any other needs our city might have," Barrionuevo stated.