At least four people were killed and 13 more were injured after a fire tore through a block of apartments in Valencia, Spain, on Thursday.
Among the injured were a minor and six firefighters.
Residents could be seen trapped on their balconies, waiting to be rescued.
The fire broke out on the fourth floor and spread rapidly through the building, a first responder said.
Authorities said 22 firefighting units and five ambulances responded to the incident, while local media reported that a field hospital was also set up at the scene.
“Please stay away from the area of the fire to let the emergency services do their work,” Valencia Mayor Maria Jose Catala said on social media.
Experts point to flammable cladding
The fire spread so rapidly because the building was covered with highly flammable polyurethane cladding, said Esther Puchades, deputy head of Valencia’s Industrial Engineers Association.
One neighbor who witnessed the blaze said the building said the fire quickly engulfed the 14-story building “as if it were made of cork.”
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The whole side of the building directly opposite was on fire, from the first floor to the sixth and seventh floor,” the witness told Spanish broadcaster TVE. “There was a really strong wind and the fire was spreading to the left at a huge speed.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was “shocked by the terrible fire in a building in Valencia” and offered the city “all the help that is necessary.”
“I want to convey my solidarity to all the people affected and recognition to all the emergency personnel already deployed at the scene,” Sanchez said on social media.
(Input: Deutsche Welle)
Among the injured were a minor and six firefighters.
Residents could be seen trapped on their balconies, waiting to be rescued.
The fire broke out on the fourth floor and spread rapidly through the building, a first responder said.
Authorities said 22 firefighting units and five ambulances responded to the incident, while local media reported that a field hospital was also set up at the scene.
“Please stay away from the area of the fire to let the emergency services do their work,” Valencia Mayor Maria Jose Catala said on social media.
Experts point to flammable cladding
The fire spread so rapidly because the building was covered with highly flammable polyurethane cladding, said Esther Puchades, deputy head of Valencia’s Industrial Engineers Association.
One neighbor who witnessed the blaze said the building said the fire quickly engulfed the 14-story building “as if it were made of cork.”
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The whole side of the building directly opposite was on fire, from the first floor to the sixth and seventh floor,” the witness told Spanish broadcaster TVE. “There was a really strong wind and the fire was spreading to the left at a huge speed.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was “shocked by the terrible fire in a building in Valencia” and offered the city “all the help that is necessary.”
“I want to convey my solidarity to all the people affected and recognition to all the emergency personnel already deployed at the scene,” Sanchez said on social media.
(Input: Deutsche Welle)