Motorcycle Fire in Palma: Black Smoke Plume Over Calle Sindicat

Meter-high smoke plume in the heart of Palma's shopping street

On Monday morning around 10:15 a.m. a dense, black column of smoke rose over Calle Sindicat. A delivery scooter parked on the roadway in front of shops caught fire for reasons not yet clarified and soon stood completely ablaze. Passersby halted, pulled out their phones – videos quickly circulated on social media.

Situation and initial measures

An employee of Emaya municipal utilities happened to be nearby and initially tried to contain the fire with a water hose. However, the flames spread quickly, so the Palma Fire Department was alerted. Responders arrived within minutes and were able to extinguish the burning motorcycle. According to local reports, there were no serious property damages to buildings. The vehicle itself was, however, completely destroyed.

Witnesses described a pungent smell and soot on windows and fogged storefronts within a radius of several tens of meters. A shop owner who runs her store on the corner to Plaça Major said: “It suddenly got so hot, the smoke came directly into the shop – we briefly had everyone evacuated.”

Traffic and consequences

The local police controlled traffic and set up roadblocks. Due to the heavy smoke, there were traffic jams especially at the approaches to Porta de Sant Antoni and along the avenues. Within an hour the situation returned to normal after the fire department had extinguished the fire and cleared the scene. There were no reports of injuries.

Residents and business owners expressed relief that the fire did not spread to buildings. At the same time, some voiced concern about the increasing presence of parked, sometimes poorly maintained motor scooters in narrow downtown streets – an issue that repeatedly leads to smaller fires here.

Looking ahead

The cause of the fire is now being investigated by authorities. Such incidents remind us how quickly a small malfunction can become a dangerous situation, especially in busy pedestrian and shopping zones. If you were in the area in the morning, you may still recall the smell and the black particles – unpleasant, but fortunately it ended without serious injuries.

If new information emerges, we will update the report. Until then, the emergency services recommend: keep distance, avoid smoke plumes, and if in doubt, call the emergency number.