FIRE SCARE: Garage blaze forces evacuation of residents from homes

A FIRE in the garage of a building in Velez-Malaga forced emergency workers to evacuate around a dozen residents from their homes.

The blaze, which broke out at around 2pm on Monday, took place on Calle Domingo Heredia, and saw residents on the upper floors removed for their own safety.

Members of the Local Police and Provincial Consortium of firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames, which were concentrated on the building’s ground floor.  Officials believe a short-circuit in an off-road vehicle parked in one of the street’s garages prompted the fire.

Rescue workers said they evacuated residents over concerns the fire could quickly spread as the garage contained flammable liquids.  Ultimately, however, no further damage took place and no one was injured.

At around the same time, another fire broke out in the Los Puertas area, where a two-storey house was badly damaged after a fire broke out in the kitchen.