2024-02-23 01:27:43
According to authorities, at least four people died in the major fire in a high-rise complex with apartments in the Spanish coastal metropolis of Valencia. The regional newspaper “Levante” also reported that 20 people were missing. That number was not confirmed by the regional government’s deputy emergency director, Jorge Suarez, shortly following midnight.
The firefighters might not yet enter the building for safety reasons, he emphasized. Before that, the largely burned-out structure had to be further cooled from the outside. The number of injured was previously given as 14, including six firefighters.
The high-rise complex with several blocks and 138 apartments on up to 15 floors, which was only completed a few years ago, was completely engulfed in flames in a very short time. At times it resembled a huge torch. The fire broke out in an apartment on one of the lower floors and spread rapidly across the facade made of flammable materials, partly due to strong winds, experts explained in Spanish media.
The accident in Valencia brings back dark memories of the Grenfell fire disaster in London in June 2017. 72 people died in the high-rise fire in the Kensington district. The fire broke out on one of the lower floors and also spread rapidly through the façade insulation of the social building. The fire department initially advised people to stay in the burning building and wait for help. For many, their homes became a death trap.
1708652965
#dead #major #fire #Valencia
