A massive blaze has erupted at a marina in a popular Brit holiday resort with terrifying images emerging.
Vessels worth millions of pounds are feared to have been destroyed in the huge fire, with Brit boat owners expected to be among those suffering losses if confirmed in the Costa del Sol holiday resort of Marbella.
One local report, which has yet to be confirmed by officials, said around 100 boats between 20 and 40ft-long were at the warehouse-type building that went up in flames.
British boat owners were sending messages to each other last night on private WhatsApp groups expressing their concern.
Police, firefighters and ambulances were mobilised as part of the emergency response after the alarm was sounded around 7pm at the warehouse in Marbella’s fishing port known as La Bajadilla near the town centre.
The entrance to the port was cordoned off but large crowds gathered as flames took hold of the building which belongs to Marina Marbella and is believed to have been used for storage and boat repairs.
A spokesman for Marbella Town Hall confirmed: “Around 30 firefighters are working on extinguishing a fire at a marine warehouse in the La Bajadilla port.
“Local police, Civil Protection and health services are also in the area.”
The town’s mayoress Angela Munoz added in a tweet: “I’m following the development of the situation after fire broke out at the Marina Marbella warehouse in the fishing port.
“No other building in the area has been affected.”
The owners could not be reached last last night for comment.
Marina Marbella, founded by two Swedish sailors who started their boat business in Marbella but now operate in countries including the UK and Portugal, offer a range of maintenance services including dry docking and winterising.
Their other services including renting boats and helping clients with the purchase and delivery of vessels.
One local Spanish report said the fire had started in a building where around 100 boats were being stored or repaired.
The report, on ElDebate.com said: “In the warehouse there were around 100 boats between 20 and 40 feet-long. Many of them were worth millions of pounds.
“The building serves as a winter port, where boats are stored after being taken out of the water, and some were being repaired."
The cause of the fire, which had been brought under control by around 9pm local time, is not yet clear.
