THREE young teenagers have been arrested for starting a fire in an Almería province cave which killed two 16-year-old women and a 20-year-old man.
A blaze went up at around 20.00 last night (Monday) outside the cave in the Molineta area near the Argal high school just north of Almería city, spreading to an old sofa dumped inside the grotto.
The flames engulfed the outside of the cave, preventing its occupants from getting out.
Firefighters say the heat of the inferno was 'extremely intense', and the bodies of the three young adults showed 'multiple burns', so it is not known whether it was the smoke which killed them or the actual contact with the flames.
They were exploring about two or three metres underground at the time, and were completely trapped and at the mercy of the blaze.
The cave, in the Los Ángeles neighbourhood, had been used as a dumping ground for old furniture, mattresses and sofas, which went up swiftly when the fire outside it spread.
So far, three young men aged between 14 and 16 have been arrested.
The case remains sub judice and the suspects cannot be identified because they are under 18.
