- Written by Sean Seddon and Ido Vock
- BBC news
Video: The moment two people are rescued from a burning skyscraper in Spain
At least four people have died after a massive fire broke out in a high-rise residential area in Valencia, Spain, emergency services said.
The fire destroyed a 14-storey block in the Campanar district and spread to adjacent buildings.
Firefighters were also seen rescuing people from balconies, and 19 people are still believed to be missing.
At least 14 people were injured, including six firefighters and one child.
Strong winds fanned the flames, but highly flammable cladding is also suspected to have allowed the fire to spread quickly.
More than 20 firefighters battled the blaze, and by early Friday morning the block had been reduced to a giant shell, blackened by fire. People were asked to stay away from the area.
The building had 138 apartments and was home to 450 residents, El Pais newspaper reported, citing the building's management.
According to local reports, firefighters used a crane to rescue several residents, including a couple living on the seventh floor.
One woman told TVE she saw firefighters trying to rescue a teenage boy trapped on the first floor of the building.
In the hours after the fire spread rapidly, questions were raised in Spain about the materials used in the building's construction.
Esther Puchades, vice president of the Valencia University of Industrial Engineers, told Spanish news agency Efe that she had previously inspected the building.
She argued that polyurethane material was used for the exterior, but is no longer widely used due to flammability concerns.
A man who lives on the second floor of the building told television station La Sexta that after the fire broke out, the flames spread rapidly and reportedly started on the fourth floor.
“The fire spread in just 10 minutes,” he said, adding that material on the building's facade may have caused the fire to spread.
image source, Getty Images
image source, Getty Images
Engineer David Higuera told El Pais that the building's cladding could be the cause of the fire's rapid spread.
The aluminum plates with foam insulation that make up the building's exterior layer “are very good at insulating and insulating against the cold, but they're also very flammable,” he said.
Firefighters were called to the scene at around 17:30 local time (16:30 GMT). A field hospital has been set up in the area, RTVE reported. Officials said those forced from their homes would be housed in hotels.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Disappointed by the terrible fire that broke out in a building in Valencia… We express our solidarity with all those affected and have already dispatched… I would like to express my gratitude to all the emergency personnel.” on site. ”
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