The tragedy began yesterday at around 17:30 local time, when fire was seen in an apartment on the seventh floor of one of the two adjacent buildings, but the wind and apparently the materials used on its facade helped the blaze spread, and in 30 minutes the two condominiums were burning.

Preliminary reports indicate there are five people dead and 15 missing, together with the total destruction of the two apartment blocks, considered “avant-garde and singular” by their promoters.

The speed with which the flames spread is one of the focal points of the investigation, which has just begun and points to the quality of the materials used in the construction of the buildings.

A father and his daughter were rescued by firefighters on a balcony, other neighbors were seen jumping from one side to the other and in general, there was hardly any time to evacuate given the enormous size of the fire and the speed with which it spread, city authorities said.

In the buildings, one of 14 floors and the other of 10, there were 138 homes, offices and commercial premises, together with a shared swimming pool and panoramic elevator.

With total losses, the tenants who managed to save their lives moved to the homes of family and friends, while 36 others spent the night in a hotel.

Valencia was preparing this weekend for the start of the Fallas Festival with events such as the Crida (the invitation to participate in the festivities) on Sunday, but the authorities declared three days of mourning and suspended all official events.

Las Fallas, Festivity of International Tourist Interest, and since 2016 on Unesco’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, carry among their celebrations bonfires that eventually serve to burn images of different kinds.

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