Double fire at a campsite in El Vendrell: nearly 2,000 people evacuated

Firefighters are working on a double fire that broke out at a campsite in El Vendrell (Tarragona) in the early hours of the morning, right in the middle of the peak holiday season. The call was received at 3:17 a.m., specifically, about an initial fire originating from a caravan. Seven fire crews were dispatched to the scene. The fires caused no casualties, but did burn several caravans and part of the site. When firefighters arrived, the blaze was raging—as evidenced by the images and confirmed by firefighters at the ARA (Argentine National Fire Brigade)—and several caravans were already burning. For this reason, the affected campsite, Estival Vendrell Platja, where between 1,500 and 1,800 vacationers were spending their vacation there, has been completely evacuated. It was at that moment that a second, less intense fire broke out at the other end of the site.

"When the first fire started, I was sleeping, but my friend wasn't because he was jet-lagged, and he was the one who woke me up. From there, we notified my parents and headed for the exit, alerting everyone about the fire," Miquel Moyano, who started the fire, told ARA. According to this Sabadell resident, the smoke reached 10 meters high. His testimony also gives an idea of how the evacuation of vacationers was handled: he says that by 5:00 a.m., everyone was already out of the campsite, specifically on the seafront, where a restaurant had opened its doors to offer its services free of charge to those affected. Around 8:00 a.m., he says, people began to be rehoused, and they headed back to their plots, still with the remains of the burnt material visible.

According to the Fire Department, 17 plots of land have been completely affected by the fire, and around forty people have been unable to be relocated and are awaiting an alternative. Firefighters also confirm that there have been no fatalities, and the SEM emergency services have only treated two people: one for smoke inhalation and the other for a nervous breakdown due to the situation. Both have been discharged. in situ.

Residents who spent the night on the streets were able to drink water and soft drinks and use the services at Taberna de Los Serrano, a restaurant located opposite the campsite that opened its doors in the early hours of the morning to serve those affected. Rafa Serrano, the owner of the establishment, explained to ARA that he went to the scene to provide this service after receiving notice of the fire from a nephew of his, a resident of the campsite where the fire broke out.

While waiting to clarify what happened that caused two simultaneous fires to break out at a campsite in the early hours of the morning, the Fire Department has reported that both fires have now been extinguished. The first burned at least 12 caravans on 16 plots, and the second burned two caravans and a car. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) have an open investigation, and everything points to the fires being "accidental," according to police sources told ARA.