Bin blaze in Palma

Fire consumed refuse containers last weekend in a bin blaze in Palma de Mallorca.

At about one o´clock in the early hours of Saturday morning, September 28, residents of Carrer Frida Kahlo, Concòrdia Park, in the Son Oliva neighbourhood of Palma, were alarmed to notice that several of the large community refuse containers were on fire. The bins were quickly engulfed in flames, resulting in several explosions, as the air filled thickly with smoke. Emergency services received multiple calls from concerned members of the public and officers from the National Police and firefighters from the Palma fire brigade were deployed immediately, arriving at the scene within minutes.

The blaze was dealt with rapidly and the fire put out, and no injuries were reported, however the emergency services were obliged to return to the scene a few hours later when the fire was rekindled. Refuse disposal company, Emaya, was alerted and workers were sent to remove and replace the containers, which had been completely obliterated by the flames. A car, which had been parked nearby, was also damaged in the fire.

All evidence indicates that the fire was caused intentionally, and it is not the first incident of this kind to have occurred in the area. Some half a dozen bin blazes have been dealt with in the neighbourhood so far already this year, and this is the third time the refuse containers in this very same point have been targeted, with the bins being set alight twice back in March, in incidents which took place just days apart.