A bar fire forces the evacuation of a residential building in Arrecife

Arrecife Local Police officers had to evacuate thirty residents of a building on Avenida Marítima early this Wednesday morning after a fire broke out in a bar located in the basement of the building. The premises have been completely burned, both inside and on the facade, although there have been no personal injuries.

The fire occurred at around 03:00 this Wednesday, when the local fire alarm went off. One of the owners of the establishment quickly approached and tried to put it out without success and called the fire brigade. "In an hour or even less the fire spread everywhere," said another of the owners of Mojito's bar this Wednesday morning, stressing that the premises have been "totally destroyed".

Although experts will now determine how the flames originated, firefighters have an initial hypothesis. "Apparently, the dishwasher had some problem and in a first perception we believe that is where it broke out," explained Enrique Espinosa, manager of the Security and Emergency Consortium.

Espinosa pointed out that a few minutes after receiving the call, the firefighters arrived and, seeing the magnitude of the fire, agreed with the Local Police officers to evacuate the occupants of the building's flats until it was completely extinguished. An ambulance was also called, although no one needed medical assistance. According to the Police, the evacuation was "preventive" and the residents did not have to be transferred to other accommodation. "Once the atmosphere was breathable and not harmful, they were allowed to access their homes," they say.