At least four killed as blaze engulfs apartment block in Spain

At least four killed as blaze engulfs apartment block in Spain

Emergency services in Valencia, Spain, have reported that a massive fire has claimed the lives of at least four individuals in a high-rise residential block. The blaze erupted in the Campanar neighborhood, engulfing a 14-story building and spreading to an adjacent structure.

Firefighters were observed conducting rescues from balconies, with reports indicating that additional individuals may be trapped indoors. So far, the fire has resulted in injuries to at least 14 people, including six firefighters and a young child, with the situation ongoing.

Over 20 fire crews are currently engaged in combatting the blaze, and residents are being advised to steer clear of the area. According to El Pais, the affected building, which accommodates 138 flats and houses 450 residents, is under the management of the newspaper.

Local accounts describe firefighters utilizing cranes to rescue multiple occupants, including a couple residing on the seventh floor. An eyewitness recounted to TVE witnessing efforts to extricate a teenage boy stranded on the first floor.

Following the rapid escalation of the fire, concerns have arisen regarding the construction materials used in the building. Esther Puchades, Vice President of the College of Industrial Technical Engineers of Valencia, disclosed to the Spanish news agency Efe that she had previously conducted inspections on the structure.

She claimed its exterior featured a polyurethane material, which is no longer in wide use because of fears over flammability.

One man who lives on the second floor of the building told TV channel La Sexta that the flames grew rapidly after the fire started, reportedly on the fourth floor.

“The fire spread in a matter of 10 minutes,” he said, adding that material on the facade of the building may have caused the fire to spread.

David Higuera, an engineer, told El País the building’s cladding may have been the cause of the rapid spread of the fire.

The aluminum plates with a foam insulator making up the outer layer of the building are “very good at insulating against heat and cold, but very combustible,” he said.

Firefighters were called at around 17:30 local time (16:30 GMT). A field hospital has been set up in the area, RTVE reported. People displaced from their homes would be housed in hotels, authorities said.

Writing on X (formerly known as Twitter) Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “Dismayed by the terrible fire in a building in Valencia… I want to convey my solidarity to all the people affected and recognition to all the emergency personnel already deployed at the scene.”