Woman and son, aged four, injured in fire

A woman and her four-year-old son were evacuated by the fire brigade during a fire which destroyed their flat in Calle Joan Dameto, in Palma's Son Cotoner district. The woman suffered first degree burns and smoke intoxication. The fire broke out about 3.50pm and is believed to have been started by the woman's four-year-old niece, who was playing with a lighter in another room. Neighbours raised the alarm and the fire fighting and evacuation was co-ordinated by the 112 emergency service. The first calls reported people trapped in the third floor, but when the police and firemen arrived, they found that this was not the case. It took the firemen more than an hour to extinguish the blaze which destroyed two rooms and left the rest of the flat with extensive smoke damage. Both the woman and her son were taken to hospital but were released after treatment. The woman suffered first degree burns on a foot. The four-year-old was treated on the spot for smoke inhalation before being rushed to hospital. The police evacuated the entire building in view of the danger of the fire spreading to other storeys of the building. The residents of the building waited in the street until the firemen finished their work. The firemen, from the Sa Teulera fire station, had closed the street to traffic to make their work easier.