British holidaymaker describes “terrifying” hotel fire in Spain as lawyers investigate claims on behalf of families

The incident happened at the Bellevue Club resort on 29 August 2025, with reports at the time suggesting multiple holidaymakers were treated for smoke inhalation.

Lucy Potter, 33, from Macclesfield, was staying at the resort with her partner and five children when the fire broke out. Her family were woken by shouting and banging on doors before opening their room to find thick smoke outside.

She says guests were left stranded on the hotel balcony and had to call the fire service themselves, after the majority of staff appeared to have abandoned the building.

She said:

“I heard someone screaming and at first thought it could just be a drunk person, but then my daughter came running into the room and told us people were banging on the front door. When we opened it, the whole hallway was filled with smoke and people were shouting ‘fire, you need to get out’. We closed the door and tried to get the kids up, but by the time we opened it again there were even more people outside and we couldn’t move - we couldn’t even get out of the room.

“People were coming asking for water and towels to cover their faces, and we were panicking because my son is badly asthmatic. We ended up having to put him under the bed with a towel over his face because we were trapped.

“Looking over the balcony, all the staff just ran out and left everybody. People were screaming, asking what was going on, but staff were shouting ‘calm, there’s no fire’ while the smoke was absolutely everywhere. We were stuck there for at least an hour before the fire brigade came. I later found out it was actually holidaymakers who rang them, not the staff.

"The smoke and fire alarms didn’t work, neither did the extinguishers. It was only people screaming and banging on doors that woke everybody up. There were also people trapped in the lift. I remember a man screaming ‘my wife, my kid’ because the lift had dropped from the fifth floor and started filling with smoke. It was horrific.”

Lucy said that after escaping, families were left wandering around the resort in their pyjamas, unsure where to go. She said:

“My toddler refuses to look at holidays, he says ‘no holiday, no fire’. It was the first holiday some of my children remember, and it’s ruined it for them.”

Lucy eventually received what she called a “brush off letter” from Jet2, as well as a small offer of a refund.

Leigh Day has been instructed by Lucy and a number of other families to investigate the circumstances of the incident and whether proper fire safety measures were in place.

Colin Murphy, partner in Leigh Day’s international travel litigation team, said:

“What our clients describe is a deeply frightening experience, with families trapped in smoke-filled accommodation and raising serious concerns about the adequacy of fire safety procedures at the resort. We are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident and whether appropriate steps were taken to protect guests.”

Leigh Day is encouraging anyone affected by the fire at the Bellevue Club resort in Majorca to contact its international personal injury team at travelclaims@leighday.co.uk