Man arrested on suspicion of arson after Mid Harbours fire leaves five hospitalised

By Eyleen Gomez and Nathan Barcio

A 19-year-old Spanish man was arrested by detectives from the Royal Gibraltar Police on suspicion of arson following a fire in a Mid Harbour Estate flat that left five people in hospital, and in which the family dog died.

News of the arrest came late on Tuesday night, just hours after the incident which took place at around 4.26am the same day.

That morning residents of the estate watched in horror as flames and smoke billowed out of the window of sixth-floor flat in Wave Crest House, with emergency services responding within minutes to tackle the blaze.

Residents evacuated the building just before 4.30am and the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue service was on the scene within three minutes of the first call.

On Tuesday afternoon most of the family were still being treated in St Bernard’s Hospital but none were thought to be in a life-threatening condition, police said.

“At around 4.26am, the RGP Control Room received a report that there was a fire at the top of Wave Crest House and that residents were stuck inside shouting for help,” the RGP said in a statement.

“Royal Gibraltar Police, Gibraltar Fire and Rescue and Gibraltar Ambulance Service were dispatched.”

“Three adults and two children who were in the residence where the fire happened were taken to St Bernard’s Hospital for treatment to injuries, with two of the adults in intensive care.”

“A family dog died in the fire and the entire building was evacuated by the emergency services.”

Edgar Ramirez, the Senior Fire Officer on duty on Tuesday night, said that a full on-duty complement of three appliances and 12 firefighters was initially despatched to the scene.

Upon arrival six firefighters with breathing apparatus entered the property to fight the fire and carry out search and rescue operations for the remaining two occupants within the property, the other three having managed to exit the flat.

“Crews encountered extremely challenging conditions, working in considerably elevated temperatures and very poor visibility, due to smoke logging within the property,” Mr Ramirez said.

At the same time, an additional 12 fire fighters were recalled should support be required and to ensure the GFRS could respond to any other emergency.

Stacey Tosso, a resident on the fifth floor of the block, told the Chronicle she awoke to screams.

She described how she opened her front door and heard one of the residents of the flat shouting “fire, fire”.

She added she saw some of the flat’s younger residents escaping the fire, praising the eldest of them who alerted others and shepherded the two children to safety, before having to be held back from returning into the burning flat for the two adults.

Ms Tosso described the fire as “blazing like crazy” and that every second felt like hours.

Her fear was that anyone left in the flat was going to perish in the fire, describing her anguish as she watched from below as one of them gasped for air and struggled to remove mosquito blinds from a window.

The first emergency responders at the scene were officers from the RGP Response Team, who tried to enter the property with a fire extinguisher to assist those inside but were fought back by the flames, a police spokesperson said.

Thankfully, when firefighters arrived shortly after they managed to get the couple to safety before extinguishing the fire.

The blaze left residents concerned about fire safety measures in the estate, where some blocks have only a single staircase for all residents.

One resident described the access as “horrible”, adding they did not feel safe.

Asked about fire safety in the estate, Mr Ramirez confirmed the buildings comply with all relevant codes and regulations.

He added this design, including fire safety features, is meant to ensure and safeguard the safety of residents and firefighters alike.

During the response to the fire, RGP officers and members of GFRS evacuated a number of residents from neighbouring flats.

These residents were taken to the community centre on the estate to be looked after, but later returned to their properties once a structural engineer had given the building the all clear.

According to Ms Tosso residents were allowed back into their homes at around 8am.

She said Government Minister Christian Santos was passing early in the morning and opened the community centre at about 6am. This enabled the residents to get respite from the cold night and to have some hot drinks.

The GFRS thanked the RGP and Ambulance Service for their support in managing the scene, as well as all the residents for their cooperation during the incident.

“The GFRS would like to wish the family a speedy recovery,” said Mr Ramirez.

A statement from the Government confirmed that the fire damage was contained within one flat and did not spread, but that several others received some damage due to water penetration in the extinguishing of the fire.

The Minister for the GFRS, Leslie Bruzon, commented on the professionalism and bravery of the fire service, adding that the fighfighters’ work “cannot be understated”.

“We are grateful to all the emergency services for their incredible work,” he added.

The Chief Minster, Fabian Picardo also commented on the GFRS’ “incredible reaction time” having attended “the fire in less than five minutes in the early hours of the morning is a reminder of the incredible job they do in keeping our community safe”.

“They are always there when we need them most,” Mr Picardo said.

“I cannot thank them enough on behalf of all residents of Mid Harbour Estate and their families as well as all of our wider community.”

Detectives from the RGP’s Criminal Investigation Department are currently conducting enquiries into the cause of the fire and are treating it as arson.

After the fire, the RGP Crime Scene Investigation Unit was sent to the scene to collect evidence as part of the investigation.

The investigation led to an arrest later on Tuesday.

“A 19-year-old Spanish man has this afternoon been arrested on suspicion of arson by RGP CID detectives in relation to this morning's fire at the Mid Harbour Estate,” a police spokesman said on Thursday night.

“An investigation continues.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the RGP Control Room on 200 72500 or report online at www.police.gi/report/seen-heard

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to add that the first emergency responders at the scene were officers f the RGP Response Team.