By John Smith • Published: 24 Sep 2023 • 12:59 • 1 minute read
Scene of devastation as luxury cars ignite Credit: Marbella Se Queja Instagram
AT around 3.30am on the morning of Sunday September 24, emergency services 112 received several alerts that cars in a private parking area in Calle Rio Danubio in Nueva Andalucia, a suburb of Marbella, were on fire.
By the time that the Marbella fire brigade and Local Police arrived, it was too late to save any of the vehicles but it was possible to contain the blaze so it did not spread to nearby buildings.
A total of 14 vehicles, the majority of which may be considered luxury models were destroyed or damaged and it appears from first reports that all bore Lithuanian number plates and may have been available for private hire.
Sources from the Fire Fighting and Rescue Service have reported that an investigation will be undertaken in order to discover why the blaze started, as it could be the result of arson, a design fault or electrical system failure.
Many car fires are also started by fuel leaks onto a hot engine but considering the fact that fire broke out at such a late time, it seems unlikely that this would be the reason.
In addition to the official investigation, it is more than likely that if all of the vehicles were insured with the same company, there will be an additional investigation as the total value of the destroyed vehicles is likely to run well into six figures.
Marbella has seen a large number of wealthy foreign tourists arriving from Eastern Europe as well as the Middle East and there has been a boom in the renting of luxury cars which are seen in places such as Puerto Banus and outside expensive hotels, clubs and restaurants.
In many cases, the cars being driven have been registered outside of Spain and possibly return to their country of origin when the summer season finishes.
Happily, no-one was reported injured and apart from the vehicles and part of the surrounding wall, no damage occurred to neighbouring properties.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
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