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Date Published: 23/02/2024

At least 4 dead and more missing in Valencia apartment block fire

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UPDATE: Valencia tower block fire final death toll rises to nine

The fire spread so rapidly because of the construction materials used, which were the same as those in the Grenfell towers

At least 4 dead and more missing in Valencia apartment block fire

At least four people have died and 19 more are missing due to a devastating fire in a 14-storey apartment building in Valencia, Spain this Thursday February 22.

The fire started at around 5.30pm in the building located on Avenida del Maestro Rodrigo where around 450 people lived in 138 homes across two apartment blocks, and it was still active at dawn this Friday.

Incendio arrasa edificio en #valencia
📹RRSS pic.twitter.com/kgFfYNCF6u
— Noticias Cartagena (@cartagena_hoy) February 22, 2024

At the moment, four people are confirmed to have died, 14 been injured (six of whom are firefighters) and 14 people are still unaccounted for. It is the worst fire in Valencian history.

What has been most shocking was the speed and intensity with which the flames spread across the whole building, reportedly due to the way the building’s façade was constructed using flammable cladding as recently as 2009.

Any residents who requested it, as reported by the Valencia City Council, have been temporarily relocated to hotels.

The fire started on the balcony of a home on the seventh floor and, in a matter of minutes, spread quickly throughout the building, helped by a strong westerly wind, but also by the polyurethane aluminium material used to insulate the building, which was also present in the Grenfell Towers in London and which is no longer widely used in construction because of its flammability.

Dozens of firefighters were quickly on the scene to put out the flames and a field hospital was set up nearby to take care of any injured people.

Firefighters continued cooling the area last night and it was not known when they would be able to access the inside of the building. Depending on the damage to the structure and how the firefighting goes today, they may be able to get inside to look for any survivors or people who were trapped in the building this Friday.

Tras su llegada al #IncendioCampanar los vehículos #VINTAC I y II del #RAIEM se han integrado en el dispositivo de extinción en labores de enfriamiento de la fachada y la azotea del edificio afectado pic.twitter.com/q5ffgrjxGR
— UME (@UMEgob) February 23, 2024

Valencia was due to start its famous Fallas fireworks festival this weekend, but the start of the fiestas has been delayed and three days of official mourning declared.

Image: Emergències 112CV

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