Overview
- Early Monday, May 25, a fire started in Le Grand Café beneath the Hotel Ibis in central Málaga and more than 100 guests were evacuated and reallocated with no reported injuries.
- The Málaga fire appeared controlled during the day but re‑ignited later on Monday and spread into upper floors, forcing authorities to deploy multiple crews, aerial ladders, pump trucks and nodriza vehicles to reinforce extinction efforts.
- Fire officials and the Málaga fire chief said combustible interior finishes, wooden elements and acoustic materials in the bar accelerated flame spread from the ground floor into the hotel above.
- Separately, on May 24 a room fire on the second floor of Hotel Imperio in Mar del Plata was self‑evacuated by guests and staff, contained by firefighters before it spread and produced no casualties.
- Le Grand Café was destroyed and the Ibis suffered heavy damage with structural checks and an official investigation under way, and city authorities have started aid and rehousing measures while experts consider whether building rules or prevention steps need change.