Spain’s Guardia Civil has said it will not charge two young British tourists whose smouldering cigarette butt is believed to have started a large forest fire on an island near the Mallorcan resort of Magaluf.
Local authorities were alerted on Wednesday evening after dense clouds of smoke and tall flames were spotted on the uninhabited Isla de Sa Porrassa – also known as Black Lizard island – which lies in the bay of Magaluf.
Two aerial units were called and managed to put out the fire about an hour and a half later. Video footage showed yellow helicopters hovering over the high flames as plumes of thick black smoke rose from the island.
Beachgoers across the bay watched the blaze, while others shared photos on social media. “Again, it seems the recklessness of some is costing us dearly. The island of Sa Porrassa is suffering the consequences,” tweeted local People’s party politician José Manuel Ruiz.
Others tracked the fire’s progress. “Exceptional work with two helicopters and an airborne team,” tweeted one.
“They’ve almost put it out,” tweeted Sonia Santandreu.
The fire destroyed two hectares (five acres) of land, according to early estimates by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, but left the population of black lizards who roam the island mostly unscathed. Much of Mallorca is on high alert for forest fire risk.
Authorities are travelling again to Sa Porrassa on Thursday to survey the full extent of the damages.
Though uninhabited, tourists often swim or take a boat over to the island.
On Wednesday, a witness said the two tourists believed to have caused the fire initially tried to flee the scene on a pedalo. The Guardia Civil said it was able to track down the pair, both children, soon after the fire started, and speak to them. The fire was being treated as an accident, it said, adding there were no plans to press charges.
The incident comes as Magaluf tries to crack down on the behaviour of tourists after its “Shagaluf” culture made the holiday resort a mainstay of British press for the past year. A series of new laws unveiled earlier this month are designed to rid the resort of its insalubrious image.
