Smoked out in Marbella

EXCLUSIVE By Wendy Williams

A FATHER has told of the terrifying moment he woke up to find his hotel room full of smoke… but no alarm going off!

Felix Lesinger, 65, was forced to desperately scoop up his two young children and lead his wife to a fire exit at Marbella’s Senator Hotel.

The Swiss expat is furious that the new hotel’s alarm system failed to alert them to the 2am fire.

He has made official complaints to a booking website and is demanding compensation.

“This is completely irresponsible and very dangerous,” he told the Olive Press.

“I woke my wife and she immediately realised it was smoke from a fire,” added the father, who has a three-year-old boy and 15-month baby.

“Our baby started to cough a lot so I opened our balcony door and to my amazement saw three fire engines.

“At this moment images of flames entered my head so we immediately ran out of the room.

“The corridor was full of smoke and it appeared to be toxic. We fled towards the fire exit to get out.”

While a hotel spokesman denied there was a fire and refused to comment further, Marbella fire station confirmed that it had been called to the hotel at 2am on November 19.

However, a spokesman said the smoke was neither toxic nor dangerous and had been caused by a short circuit in the spa.

“Luckily there was no actual fire,” said the spokesman, who could not explain why the alarm had not gone off.

“It depends on the type of alarm that is installed as to what activates it, but in this case there was no danger.”

However the lack of danger has not impressed Lesinger, who runs a green website.

“It ruined our stay and it was an awful shock. Ultimately there were about 20 of us left standing in the cold in the street without explanation.

“It was only then I realised there hadn’t been a fire alarm.

“Had it been a real fire, we might never have woken up as it is well known most people do not die from fire but from the toxic smoke it produces,” he concluded.