A strong smell of smoke has enveloped Torrevieja, with visible plumes of smoke reported across the area throughout Thursday afternoon. The source of this smoke is a fire that occurred in La Marina del Carmolí, situated within the Protected Landscape of the open spaces and isles of the Mar Menor in the Murcia Region.

The town, known for its salt production, lies approximately seventy kilometres by boat from the Mar Menor, where a fire broke out, burning three hectares of protected forest land at Torre del Rame, in Cartagena. Firefighters, aided by three helicopters, have worked to control the fire, which was stabilised late in the afternoon.

According to authorities from the Emergency Coordination Centre, around six o’clock in the evening, the emergency hotline received nearly one hundred calls reporting the blaze, which allegedly originated in a reed bed near the RM-F54 road, close to the Rambla del Albujón.

Emergency services deployed firefighters from Cartagena and the Consortium for Fire Extinction and Rescue of the Murcia Region, together with three helicopters from the Directorate General of Citizen Security and Emergencies, as well as a surveillance and control helicopter. Additionally, three forestry brigades, environmental agents, local police, and the Civil Guard participated in the emergency response.