Youth Starts Fire with Hidden Lighter at Andorra's CREI Centre, Prompting Evacuation

Firefighters extinguished a small fire in a wastebasket in a minor's room on the second floor of Andorra's CREI residential intensive education centre in Santa Coloma during St John's Night, leading to the precautionary evacuation of residents and staff amid heavy smoke.

The incident took place shortly before midnight, with emergency services alerted at 23:41. The youth, under judicial tutelage, had entered the centre carrying a small lighter hidden from entry checks and used it to ignite papers in the room. Thick smoke spread across the floor, prompting centre security, police, and Andorra Medical Services (SUM) to respond. Security and at least two police patrols managed the agitated minor, who received an on-site assessment along with around half a dozen residents and caregivers. No injuries or smoke inhalation cases were reported, and the minor was later placed under police custody pending investigation.

Fire crews arrived just after midnight, contained the blaze, and ventilated the area for about an hour before residents returned. Police have withheld further details due to the minor's status, while authorities probe whether the fire was intentional.

Social Affairs Minister Trini Marín confirmed the lighter evaded standard entry protocols applied upon the youth's authorized return from time outside the facility. She noted the centre had never seen such an event and stressed that response measures—evacuation, emergency alerts, and rapid control—worked as intended despite the scare. The fire remained confined to the room, with no harm to occupants.

In response, the government will review CREI entry and exit procedures to prevent repeats, including tighter checks while balancing security, educational oversight, and minors' rights. The facility houses tutored youths up to age 18, providing psychological, social, and educational support; some study or work under professional supervision. Centre staff and the Childhood Directorate coordinated closely from the outset.

The CREI call was among dozens of minor pyrotechnic incidents that night, from around 8pm to 2am. Firefighters handled scrub fires, including 25 square metres of vegetation on Rabassa road near Aixirivall from a stray rocket, a container blaze near woodland in L'Aldosa (Massana), and outbreaks at KM0 on Avinguda Tarragona, Els Cortals, Plana d'Escaldes, and Aixirivall. They also moderated bonfires at nine sites and contained a pan fire in a Lake Placid apartment in Pas de la Casa.

Police reported no arrests or serious assaults, though a 48-hour claims window persists. A firecracker damaged a car roof in Ordino, with the youth identified for possible insurance follow-up. SUM managed six alcohol- and fireworks-related cases: three adults with intoxication transported by ambulance, two at hospital urgencies, and a minor with a hand burn transferred for treatment. A pre-11pm death in Margineda was ruled a suicide, unrelated to the festivities.