Spain: Deadly Apartment Block Inferno Strikes Valencia

Facts

• At least 10 people have died, and multiple others have been injured after a huge fire gutted a 14-story building apartment in Spain's Valencia on Thursday.¹
• The toll could rise as Spanish firefighters continue to fight high winds to douse the flames, which has reportedly reduced the high-rise 'to a skeleton,' and find at least 19 missing.²
• The fire reportedly began around 5:30 p.m. (local time) on the fourth floor of the apartment, home to more than 130 flats, before spreading to an adjoining building.³
• Officials say firefights took nearly six hours to cool down the building's exterior before they could go inside to rescue the residents. The cause of the fire and how many people have been rescued remains unclear.⁴
• According to clips broadcast by local media, several residents could be seen trapped on their balconies, burning segments of the building falling, and the sound of explosions coming out of the building.⁵
• Last October, at least 13 people were killed after a fire ripped through a packed nightclub complex in the south-eastern Spanish city of Murcia in what was the country's deadliest nightclub fire in three decades.⁶

Sources: ¹Independent, ²Guardian, ³The Telegraph, ⁴Associated Press, ⁵Reuters and ⁶NDTV.com.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by CBS. Spain's poor track record of substandard infrastructure planning has profoundly contributed to Valencia's tragic fire. Thursday's tragedy could have been prevented if the building hadn't been covered with highly combustible polyurethane cladding, which is no longer in widespread use. The builder must be charged with manslaughter and negligence, while the government must work towards a concrete infrastructure plan to avoid such incidents.
• Narrative B, as provided by New York Post. It's still unclear what caused the blaze, but the authorities have deployed emergency personnel, paramedics, and military units to aid all affected people. Meanwhile, the government is determined to bring anyone responsible for the terrible fire to justice. However, as this is an unprecedented tragedy, the priority right now is to find the survivors, secure the area, and care for the victims' families —then begin a detailed probe.