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Four Brits Appear In Court Charged With Setting Magaluf Hotel On Fire After 'Prank Goes Wrong'

Four Brits Appear In Court Charged With Setting Magaluf Hotel On Fire After 'Prank Goes Wrong'

The four Brits are alleged to have started the fire with a lighter and an aerosol can

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Four British holidaymakers have been accused of setting fire to a hotel in Magaluf.


Brandon McCahill (age 21), James Brown (21), Lauren Smith (19) and Georgia James (also 19) appeared in court in Palma.

Police have alleged that the two men and two women used a lighter and aerosol can to set fire to another tourist's feet in a drunken prank.

A spokesperson from the Civil Guard said: "Firefighters, local police and Civil Guard were mobilised on Sunday evening.

"Once they reached the hotel they saw flames leaping from one of the rooms via the balcony and saw the blaze was affecting other parts of the complex.

"Realising the lives of people staying at the hotel were in real danger, more than 100 guests in the block affected by the fire were evacuated.

"Civil Guard investigators began probing the case of the fire.

"After interviewing several witnesses they discovered that in the room where the fire started there were two women and three men, that one of them was asleep and that the other four were bothering him using a lighter and an aerosol on his feet.

"Specialists from the Civil Guard Criminalistic Laboratory subsequently confirmed the fire had been started and situated the seat of the fire at the end of the mattress.

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"The fire completely destroyed one room and affected others.

"Experts are still evaluating the cost but it will be in excess of £175,500 ($234,000) because of the repair work, cleaning and losses that will be caused by rooms being out of action and possible compensation that will need to be paid to those holidaymakers affected by the fire."

Two floors of the BH Mallorca Hotel had to be evacuated. Footage filmed at the scene shows terrified tourists running from the fire, while others can be heard shouting, "Get out!"

The blaze took an hour to put out, with two rooms left destroyed.

Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt in the fire, although several people, including three civil guards, had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The hearing is reported to have taken place in private.

McCahill, Brown, Smith and James have now been released on bail following their court appearance, however authorities have banned them from leaving the island and will not return their passports unless they can collectively produce a sum of ‎€30,000 (£26,300).

The decision was taken by a duty magistrate on Tuesday night, following the four Brits' court appearance behind closed doors in Palma.

A court official said: "The head of the Palma Court of Investigation Number 12, acting as a duty court, ordered the release on bail of the four people arrested over a fire in Magaluf.

"The judge confiscated their passports and imposed a civil liability bond of €30,000 to be paid mutually.

"If they pay the money they will have their passports returned to them."

Featured Image Credit: Backgrid

Topics: World News, UK News