On Thursday afternoon, a fire started in a 14-storey high-rise in Valencia, Spain. The fire is said to have started around 5:30 p.m. According to the newspaper El País, the flames spread throughout the building in just half an hour. It must also have spread to a neighboring building which is connected to the block. The extinguishing work is difficult because of the wind. Local authorities in Valencia have asked for assistance from the military to fight the flames, writes the local newspaper Las Provincias. Powerful flames erupt from the block. Photo: JOSE JORDAN / AFP Several dead Between 9 and 15 people are still missing after the fire, and the authorities fear that they have died. Mayor María José Catalá says the authorities are investigating whether there may be more people missing. 15 people were injured in the fire, which is among the biggest in Valencia’s history. Most of the roughly 500 residents in the block must have managed to evacuate before the fire spread. A resident told the broadcaster RTVE that he got out with only what he was wearing. – I ran, and when I came out I saw that everything was on fire. They say there is a danger of collapse. We do not understand how this could have happened. The fire crews began on Thursday evening the survey of who has been evacuated to find out how many people may still be inside the burning building, writes El Pais. Photo: Alberto Saiz / AP Las Provincias writes that the building’s caretaker, Julián, went door to door and played a key role in notifying as many of the residents as possible when the fire broke out. Jumped from apartment to apartment The fire brigade is now trying to rescue residents trapped in the burning block, writes El Mundo. – You can hear bangs and screams, says a neighbor at the site to El Pais. A firefighter tries to put out flames from a crane. Photo: Alberto Saiz / AP Lokalavisa Las Provincias writes that the fire service has managed to rescue a father and his daughter from a balcony. They were observed out on a balcony, and are said to have jumped from apartment to apartment to escape the flames. Residents of some of the lower floors are said to have escaped the flames by jumping onto mattresses placed by the fire service. The authorities have set up a field hospital nearby in anticipation of the recovery of the injured. Rescue crews take care of the evacuees after the fire. Photo: EVA MANEZ / Reuters Highly flammable El País writes that the fire started on one of the lower floors, but spread quickly. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. – A huge cloud of smoke rose from the building, says neighbor Marta to El Mundo. According to an expert, the block must have been built with polyurethane, an insulation material that is very flammable and is no longer used in new buildings, writes Las Provincias. This may be the reason why the fire spread as quickly as it did, write several of the Spanish media. Engineer David Higuera told El Pais that the plates that made up the outer layer are good at insulating against heat and cold, but also very flammable. London’s Grenfell Tower, where 72 people died and over 70 were injured when the building caught fire in 2017, was clad in the material. Photos of the fire taken by local emergency services. Photo: Emergències 112CV / Twitter: @GVA112 The police have set up barriers around the area to ensure that the emergency services can get there. According to El Pais, the block was built in 2008. El Mundo writes that approximately 500 people live in the block, spread over 138 apartments. Several media write that this is the most powerful fire in Valencia in the city’s history. In social media, the police have asked residents in the area to stay away, as it can be dangerous. People in Valencia have donated clothes to the almost 500 evacuees after the fire on Thursday evening. Photo: EVA MANEZ / Reuters
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Heavy fire in high-rise building in Valencia, Spain – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
