Valencia, at least 4 dead and 19 injured in a huge fire in a 14-storey building

At least four people died in the fire that hit a building in Valencia, in the Campanar district yesterday, late in the afternoon. 19 people are still missingas he reports El Pais. The enormous fire devastated two blocks of the same building, one with 14 and the other with 12 floorswith 138 apartments, where approximately 450 residents live.

The flames, starting from the seventh floor, formed a very high column of fire and thick black smokewhich made it difficult to breathe and which was visible even thirty kilometers away: in just half an hour the fire spread throughout the building, which had been built in 2008.

The flames spread at great speed through the aluminum plates of the facade, covered with polyurethane, a highly flammable material, as confirmed by Esther Puchades, vice president of the College of Industrial Technical Engineers of Valencia (Cogitival), who carried out an investigation on the building. This was also confirmed by David Higuera, technical engineer, according to whom those aluminum plates “work very well against heat and cold, but these synthetic foams are very flammable”. The fire also contributed to fueling the fire strong wind blowing from the west.

Firefighters inspect the aftermath of a huge fire that yesterday raged through a multistorey residential block killing at least four people, in Valencia on February 23, 2024. At least four people have died in a vast fire that ripped through a 14-storey apartment block in Valencia in eastern Spain, but officials warned today that the death toll could rise sharply. Nineteen people are still missing, a city hall source told AFP on condition of anonymity. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP) (Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)JOSE JORDAN/Getty Images

A field hospital was set up on site and 14 of the injured were rescued, including six firefighters who rushed to put out the flames. Nine are men, between 25 and 57 years old and 4 are women, between 27 and 81 years old, and there is even a child under 7 years old. With the exception of two women who were discharged, the other injured were transferred to various hospitals in the city.

Firefighters have been working since the early hours of the morning to put out the fire, which is now finally put out. The area is still cordoned off and closed to traffic. Rescuers are looking for other possible victims.