Police confirm 9 dead so far in tower block fire in Valencia

The National Police has confirmed the discovery of nine unidentified bodies in the aftermath of the residential complex fire in Valencia on Thursday, with four of the deceased found on a balcony. Although the initial reports indicated the detection of ten bodies, it appears that forensic experts have identified remains initially thought to be from one person as belonging to two distinct individuals.

Pilar Bernabé, the Government Delegate in Valencia, announced in a press conference that among the 14 people still missing, there is a baby less than a month old, a two-year-old child, and their parents.  She also emphasised the absence of a clear hypothesis regarding the fire's cause, and a judicial secrecy order has been imposed during the investigation.

The city's mayor, María José Catalá, revealed that 105 people have already been relocated to hotels. As for the injured, 15 were attended to, with four discharged on Friday morning. Currently, only two firefighters remain hospitalised, both reported to be in stable condition.

Carlos Mazón, the President of the Generalitat region, declared three days of mourning for the entire Valencian Community. He also announced the coordination between the regional government and the municipality to implement economic measures to assist the fire victims in obtaining essential goods and temporary housing.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site to assess the ongoing firefighting efforts, expressing empathy, affection, and solidarity with the affected individuals. Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Diana Morant, highlighted the government's full collaboration with Valencian authorities at various stages of the incident.

Heart-wrenching screams resonated from the building throughout Thursday afternoon, causing distress among witnesses. The heroic actions of the concierge, Julián, who risked his life to warn residents as the fire raged, as well as the efforts of the firefighters who rescued two survivors from a balcony, played crucial roles in minimising potential casualties.

The tragedy has left property owners and residents in shock, questioning how a building constructed in 2008 could burn so easily and intensely. The structure, comprising 138 apartments and housing 450 residents in the Campanar neighbourhood, was built by developers called Fbex, owned by entrepreneur Juan Parada. The use of polyurethane in the facade and the strong wind, with gusts reaching 60km/h, are believed to be key factors.

The fire, spread rapidly, engulfing the entire building within an hour, generating a massive column of black smoke carried by the wind. The emergency response initially involved 10 municipal fire brigades, two SAMU (Mobile Emergency and Rescue Service) units, and one SVB (Basic Life Support) unit.

Some residents have disputed this explanation, claiming that the facade was made of a material called Alucubond, described as an "aluminium composite with mineral-filled, difficult-to-ignite properties" or even "non-flammable." Esther Puchades, the vice president of the Valencia College of Industrial Technical Engineers, supports this view.

She revealed that construction of the building began in 2005. The 2006 Building Technical Code, revised in 2017, prohibits such coatings and requires the use of fire-resistant materials to prevent incidents like this.

In response to the tragedy, Mayor María José Catalá has offered a newly constructed building with 131 residential apartments, owned by the council, to those affected by the fire.