AT around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 24, the Fire Brigade received several alerts that cars in a private parking area in Calle Rio Danubio in Nueva Andalucia, a suburb of Marbella, were on fire.

By the time the Marbella fire brigade and Local Police arrived, it was too late to save any of the vehicles, but it was possible to contain the blaze so it did not spread to nearby buildings.

A total of 14 vehicles, the majority of which may be considered luxury models, were destroyed or damaged. The first reports show that all bore Lithuanian number plates and may have been available for private hire. Sources from the Fire Fighting and Rescue Service have reported that an investigation will be undertaken to discover why the blaze started, as it could result from arson. In addition to the official investigation, it is more than likely that if all of the vehicles were insured with the same company, there would be an additional investigation as the total value of the destroyed cars is expected to run well into six figures.

A source based in the car hire business told Global247news:

‘ It looks like an Eastern European rival gang torched these cars, hiring luxury cars out in Marbella is a very lucrative business, and where there’s money to be made in Marbella, it’s often gang-related, fighting for terrority.’