Apartment owners reassured not to worry about safety after deadly Valencia fire

This week, a judge allowed the ten victims to be buried and those affected to collect belongings found by firefighters while Spain's King and Queen visited the scene

SUR

Friday, 1 March 2024, 15:10

Amid fears other residential blocks could have been built the same way as the ones that burned in the spectacular fire last week that claimed ten lives in Valencia, real estate agents have called for public calm.

Spokesperson for COAPIV, the Valencia association for the real estate industry, Vicente Díez, said on Thursday this week that, although there were "nerves" over what happened to the 13-storey and 10-storey blocks in the Nou Campanar area of the Mediterranean city, "we need to stay positive and be confident that people are safe in their buildings". Díez added, "The buildings that have been built in the Valencia region since time began meet the regulations, and, as a result, we should feel relaxed."

Many reports of the fire that ripped through the tall, modern buildings at high speed in windy conditions have focused on the type of material used in the cladding. Live television images of molten panels flying through the air were watched across Spain.

Initial reports said the building's covering may have contained polyurethane, the flammable substance linked to the large Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017. However, later evidence has pointed to different fillings and the investigation into the fire will need to determine why it spread so quickly.

Bodies released for burial

A judge has now given permission for the bodies of the ten victims to be returned to families for burial after the forensic investigations ended and residents of the 138 flats affected were allowed to collect the few belongings remaining, except for the flat where the fire is believed to have started.

Throughout the week, work has been going on to rehouse those affected in an empty, new building belonging to the city council and arrangements made to give emergency payouts.

On Monday, the King and Queen paid a visit to Valencia, meeting with victims and visiting the scene of the tragedy. "They went asking us questions one by one," said the residents after the visit.

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