Deadly fire engulfs high-rise buildings in Valencia

A fire broke out in a 14-story residential building at the Spanish city of Valencia, at around 5:30 on the afternoon of Thursday.

It has so far been made known that at least four people lost their lives in the event, while between nine and fifteen others remain missing.

In addition to this, reports of 13-15 injured people have been made from various news outlets, including six firefighters.

22 teams of firefighters immediately rushed to the scene, evacuating people from balconies, and trying to put the situation under control.

According to El Pais, the high-rise building consisted of 138 apartments, and was home to some 450 people, while it was constructed in 2008-2009.

Witnesses reported that the fire started on the fourth floor and had spread across the building in a matter of about 10 minutes.

It is suspected that the main reasons behind this rapid spread were the polyurethane cladding on the building’s façade as well as the 60 kph (40mph) winds that were acting at the time.

Finally, the fire was not contained on the 14-story building, but also spread on the adjacent one.