350 evacuated in Santa Ponça hotel blaze scare

THREE people were injured in a Santa Ponça hotel blaze on Tuesday.

The fire broke out at the three star Hotel Rey Don Jaime in forcing 350 guests to be evacuated and three people to suffer from smoke inhalation.

Although the hotel was almost full to capacity, luckily, at the time of the fire, half of the 700 guests were not at the hotel.

Two of the affected, hotel employees, were taken to a clinic in Palma, while the third, a Local Police officer received on-site assistance.

The fire, which was started by a fryer, caused major damage to the hotel’s kitchen and created a thick cloud of smoke, which spread throughout the building.

A Local Police patrol in the area spotted the smoke and rushed to the scene before calls flooded in to the 112 emergency services from various people.

Firefighters put out the fire within minutes and ventilated the building before allowing guests – some of whom had been sitting on sofas wrapped in blankets – back into the hotel.

Most of the evacuees were Spanish pensioners, although there were also a few German football teams from the island.

Meanwhile, sources say the hotel kitchen has sustained significant damage caused by the smoke.

By Nicole Hallett