Four die after fire engulfs apartment block in Spain
At least four people died after a fire broke out at a high-rise residential block in Spain's Valencia city on Thursday.
Italian newspaper 20minutos reported, citing Valencian Community Deputy Director for Emergencies Jorge Juarez, that at least 13 people, including six firefighters, have been injured in the fire that had broken out at the fourth level of a 14-story building in Valencia, reported Sputnik.
According to reports, the fire is still ongoing and firefighters are still trying to bring the blaze under control.
The building reportedly contained 138 flats. 450 people stayed in it.
Access to the building is still impossible, and rescuers do not rule out a possible collapse of the building, reported Sputnik.
Locals said firefighters rescued several residents using cranes.
One woman told TVE as quoted by BBC she had seen firefighters attempting to rescue a teenage boy trapped on the building's first floor.
One man told a local TV channel that the fire spread quickly after it broke out presumably on the fourth floor of the building.
"The fire spread in a matter of 10 minutes," he told TV channel La Sexta as quoted by BBC, adding that material on the facade of the building may have caused the fire to spread.
PM reacts to fire tragedy
PM Pedro Sanchez posted on X: "Dismayed by the terrible fire in a building in Valencia."
Consternado ante el terrible incendio en un edificio de Valencia.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) February 22, 2024
Acabo de hablar con el presidente @carlos_mazon_ y la alcaldesa @mjosecatala para conocer de primera mano la situación y ofrecer toda la ayuda que sea necesaria.
Quiero trasladar mi solidaridad a todas las…
"I just spoke with the president @carlos_mazon_ and the mayor @mjosecatala to learn first-hand about the situation and offer all the help that is necessary," he said.
"I want to convey my solidarity to all the people affected and recognition to all the emergency personnel already deployed at the scene," the PM said.
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