Explosions Rock Torrellano as Fire Destroys Nine Cars at Alicante Airport Open-Air Vehicle Compound

A fire involving nine vehicles at a storage compound close to Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport sent explosions echoing across Torrellano and renewed residents’ demands for tighter controls on open-air car lots.

Seven vehicles were completely destroyed and two others damaged after flames spread through the workshop area of the compound on Tuesday afternoon. No injuries were reported, but a thick column of black smoke was visible across the village and initially led some residents to fear there had been an incident at the nearby airport.

The blaze began shortly after 2pm in a vehicle that workers had reportedly been attempting to start. María Gallego, manager of the compound, said the car had previously suffered mechanical damage and its engine caught fire when staff tried to get it running.

“When they tried to start it, it wouldn’t start and the engine caught fire. That was when everything began,” she said.

The precise cause has not yet been officially confirmed by the Provincial Fire Consortium, although an engine or mechanical failure is considered the leading possibility. Investigators will need to establish whether the vehicle itself malfunctioned and rule out other potential causes.

Flames quickly spread from the first car to vehicles parked nearby. Fuel, tyres and other combustible components generated several explosions as the fire intensified, while a cypress hedge bordering the site was also damaged.

Workers initially attempted to control the flames with extinguishers kept at the facility. However, the speed at which the fire spread overwhelmed their efforts, and firefighters were alerted at 2.26pm.

Four crews from the Elche and Santa Pola fire stations were deployed with three fire engines and a command vehicle. They worked for more than an hour to bring the blaze under control, with the operation officially ending at 5.09pm.

Local Police and National Police officers also attended. The vehicles were left burnt out in a row inside the compound, while videos filmed by residents captured the flames, smoke and explosions.

The site has reportedly operated for around 20 years and stores damaged vehicles and cars connected with businesses serving the airport, including rental vehicles that may later be sold to dealerships or private buyers. Its current managers said they had taken over the operation only a few months ago.

Local Police requested documents relating to the business, its activities and the land on which it operates. Those responsible reportedly produced a valid rental agreement but said some additional paperwork had previously been handled by former colleagues and would need to be located.

The checks come as Elche City Council increases scrutiny of open-air vehicle compounds, with several facilities reportedly closed after being found to be operating without the required authorisation.

The Vial Alicante-Elche Airport Residents’ Association said the fire demonstrated the danger posed by large concentrations of vehicles on plots close to homes, Torrellano village and the airport.

Association president Juan José Mateo Rocamora said residents heard loud explosions before understanding where they were coming from. Some initially feared there had been an accident within the airport grounds.

Concern increased when the black smoke became visible and residents realised vehicles were burning close to their homes. The association said families were inside nearby properties and children were swimming in private pools when the explosions began.

Mateo Rocamora warned that the consequences could have been far more serious if the compound had contained hundreds of vehicles or if emergency crews had taken longer to arrive.

“If instead of nine cars there had been 900, the entire village could have gone up in flames,” he said.

The association accepts that airport-related parking and vehicle businesses provide employment and valuable economic activity. However, it insists they must operate on suitable land, with proper licences and safety measures, and at an adequate distance from residential properties.

Residents are also concerned about the potential effect of a larger fire on airport operations. Mateo Rocamora said a substantially bigger plume of dense smoke could interfere with aircraft movements, potentially leading to delayed departures, cancelled take-offs or incoming flights being diverted if visibility or safety were compromised.

The group has questioned how large numbers of fuel-carrying vehicles can be stored on land classified as rural or agricultural when other types of development face strict separation and safety requirements.

It is calling for each compound around Torrellano and the airport to be inspected individually, with officials checking planning status, business licences, authorised land use, fire precautions and emergency access.

Although the association welcomed recent municipal action against some allegedly unauthorised sites, it said intervention remained too slow and claimed several compounds closest to homes continued operating.

Tuesday’s blaze has now strengthened long-standing calls for decisive action. Residents want the council to regulate or relocate unsuitable facilities before another vehicle fire spreads further and causes injuries, loss of life or disruption to one of Spain’s busiest airports.

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