A fire broke out in sector 12 of the rural area of Can Escandell at around 1 p.m. on Thursday. Strong winds made it difficult for the firefighting team to extinguish the blaze. The fire spread over an area of 1,932 square metres. The origin of the fire is currently unknown, although Rafael Triguero, the mayor of Vila, told Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera that it ‘was apparently set by a group of people’. The fire has now been extinguished.
The first person to detect the fire was a man living in substandard housing in the area. While attempting to extinguish the flames, he sustained burns to his arm and required treatment from medical services. There is no evidence linking the inhabitants of the shack to the origin of the fire.
The mayor of Vila, Rafael Triguero, was on the scene. In the mayor's words, the fire ‘has remained a scare’. He also praised the actions of the local police, who quickly made way for the fire brigade and forestry agents to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible.
Five people live in the substandard housing: four adults and a four-year-old child. Triguero stated that he had the opportunity to speak with the family. 'On the 25th of this month, we had a meeting with this family. This is not the way of life we want for people who come to this city to make a living.
We are, unfortunately, aware of the housing difficulties in the city and on the island in general. However, it is true that the living situation of these people in these areas where we have settlements is not what we want," Triguero stressed.
«The children attend school in the city, social services are aware of them, and we monitor them,» he added. The mayor of Vila confirmed that the council was aware of this settlement, which was one of the first to be established in the area.