bAuthorities say at least four people have died in a large fire at a high-rise apartment complex in the Spanish coastal metropolis of Valencia. The regional newspaper “Levante” also reported the disappearance of 20 people. Jorge Suarez, the regional government's deputy emergency director, did not confirm the number shortly after midnight. Firefighters could not enter the building yet for safety reasons, he emphasized. Before that, the largely burned-out structure had to be additionally cooled from the outside. The number of injured was earlier given as 14 people, including six firefighters.

The high-rise building complex with several blocks and 138 apartments up to 15 floors, completed only a few years ago, was completely engulfed in flames in a very short time. At times it resembled a huge torch. The fire broke out in one of the apartments on the lower floor and spread quickly over the facade made of flammable material, partly due to the strong wind, experts explained in Spanish media.

The accident in Valencia brings back dark memories of the Grenfell fire in London in June 2017. 72 people died in a high-rise fire in Kensington. The fire broke out on one of the lower floors and quickly spread through the facade insulation of the social building. The fire department advised people to stay in the burning building for the time being and wait for help. For many, their home became a death trap.