"Building as if made of cork"

Fire inferno with nine fatalities shocks Spain

(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

"As if the building was made of cork, it was suddenly engulfed in flames and destroyed in no time at all," a neighbor of a burnt-out residential complex in Valencia told state TV station RTVE. Spain is mourning the loss of ten lives and 15 injuries following the fire disaster. 

The speed with which the fire was able to spread from one apartment to the entire relatively new complex was particularly shocking.

Four bodies were initially recovered during the night. They were a married couple and their two children, as the newspaper "La Vanguardia" reported, citing investigative circles. On Friday, the judiciary then confirmed a fifth victim. In the afternoon, the representative of the central government in the autonomous community of Valencia, Pilar Bernabé, initially announced that a total of ten bodies had been found during an initial search of the ruins of the fire, but later clarified that there were nine. However, the missing man has since been found dead in the ruins.

Search for human remains after the fire inferno in a large residential complex in Valencia.

(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Inferno suspected due to façade cladding
Engineer David Higuera can only explain the explosive spread of the fire with flammable parts of the façade cladding. The huge black cloud of smoke above the building can hardly be explained in any other way. Strong winds had also fanned the fire.

Millions of Spaniards live in such large housing complexes, most of which were built during the construction boom before the financial crisis of 2008. These are not social housing, but often high-end condominiums with communal pools, green areas, elevators and underground parking. Quite a few residents of such complexes are probably taking a closer look at the façade of their apartment building.

People calling for help on balconies
Carlos and Dani, two 16-year-olds, said they were "stunned" as they watched from a nearby park on Thursday afternoon as the fire spread towards the roof within minutes.

"It flickered along the metal panels of the façade or behind them, but always upwards," Carlos told the newspaper "El País". The two also reported people screaming for help on their balconies. When firefighters with turntable ladders and rescue cages rescued two residents from a balcony already threatened by the flames, the people in front of the building applauded and cheered.

Reminiscence of the Grenfell fire disaster
The images from Valencia reminded engineer Higuera of the Grenfell fire disaster in London. In June 2017, 72 people lost their lives in a high-rise fire. There, too, the fire had spread rapidly through the façade insulation.

According to fire protection expert Esther Puchadas, who certified the building in Valencia, the façade was insulated with polyurethane. This had acted as a fire accelerant. In view of the disaster, the approval of this insulating material should be reconsidered, she told the TV station À Punt. Higuera described the insulating material as "solid gasoline".

The full extent of the destruction became visible at first light on Friday. All that remained of the residential complex, which was only completed a few years ago and of which one wing is 14 storeys high and the other 12 storeys, were charred facades in front of a reinforced concrete skeleton. "Valencia has never experienced such a tragedy", said Valencia's mayor María José Catalá and declared a three-day period of mourning for the city.

The burning tower block in Valencia resembled a giant torch.

(Bild: Associated Press)

The catastrophic fire caused consternation throughout Spain. TV stations reported live in special broadcasts. The government and opposition expressed their condolences to the relatives of the victims and promised support to the victims. On Friday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to the scene of the disaster and assured those affected of state aid.

Some of the now homeless residents stayed with relatives or friends, while others were taken to hotels and guesthouses.

Soccer matches canceled
Due to the blaze, the soccer matches of the city's clubs scheduled for the weekend were also canceled. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) granted a request to this effect from the first division club Valencia CF, the club announced on Friday. The team was due to play Granada CF on Saturday.

The match between second-division club UD Levante and FC Andorra on Saturday was also canceled. The Spanish league also announced that a minute's silence would be held for the victims at all matches this weekend.