At least four people have died in a devastating fire that engulfed apartment buildings in Valencia

The fire is said to have engulfed a 14-storey apartment building in the Campanaro district and spread to an adjacent building. Firefighters were seen rescuing people from balconies.

Experts say that the fire spread quickly due to the highly flammable finishing material of the building.

The building, which has 138 apartments, was home to 450 residents, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported, citing the building’s manager.

VIDEO: Three days of mourning following the fire in Valencia: the fire spread in just 10 minutes

Fifteen people, including six firefighters and a small child, were injured, but not life-threatening.

Valencia Mayor María José Catala said authorities were still trying to find between nine and 15 people, while a government spokesman in the region said 14 people were still missing.

More than 20 fire crews battled the blaze, which was fueled by strong winds. Early Friday morning, the block turned into a huge area devastated by fire. People were advised not to approach the area.

Local reports said firefighters used cranes to rescue several residents, including a couple living on the seventh floor.

One woman told TVE that she saw firefighters trying to rescue a teenager trapped on the first floor of the building.

AFP/Scanpix/Fire in Valencia

Luis Ibanez, who lives nearby, told reporters he looked out his window to see the flames engulf the block “within minutes,” saying they were like a fist:

“I mightn’t believe what I saw. The entire side of the building in front was on fire.”

VIDEO: At least four people have died in a devastating fire that engulfed apartment buildings in Valencia

“The fire spread within 10 minutes,” another witness added, adding that the fire may have spread due to materials on the facade of the building.

Guilty finish?

In Spain, there were questions regarding the 2008-2009 materials used for the construction of the constructed building.

Estera Puchades, vice-president of Valencia’s College of Industrial Technical Engineers, told Spanish news agency Efe that she had previously inspected the building.

According to her, its exterior uses a polyurethane material that is no longer widely used due to concerns regarding its flammability. The house is also covered with aluminum.

“The reason why [pastatas] it burned so quickly, there is such a cover,” she told Spanish media.

Experts have described this coating as an effective thermal insulator, but it can be highly flammable due to ventilation or the gap between it and the coating.

Luis Sendra, a spokesman for the Valencian Association of Architects, said this might cause a “stack effect” that might cause the fire to spread more quickly.

The issue of finishing is reminiscent of 2017. tragedy at London’s Grenfell Tower. The finishes were blamed for helping the flames spread when the fire broke out, which killed 72 people, the BBC reported.