At least 10 now dead in Spanish high-rise apartment building blaze

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- At least 10 people were killed and eight injured after fire swept through a high-rise apartment complex overnight in the eastern Spanish port city of Valencia.

The death toll could rise with many still unaccounted for, the BBC said citing local media reports.

At least 10 fire crews fought the blaze in the Campanar area of the city which broke out on the fourth floor before spreading throughout the building, the Valencia Emergency Coordination Center said in a post on X.

Footage posted online showed firefighters plucking residents from balconies and using cranes to rescue people from high floors as strong winds helped spread the blaze to a linked building.

Dozens of medical and emergency personnel remained at the complex late Friday morning which was completely burnt out as firefighters damped down small fires and searched for victims.

The building reportedly was constructed with exterior polyurethane cladding similar to that blamed for the 2017 Grenfell Tower blaze in London in which 72 people were killed, raising fears the flammable material may have been behind the uncontrollable spread of the blaze, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

"It's too early to know the exact cause but the speed with which it spread would indicate similarities with Grenfell Tower in London," Luis Sendra, the dean of the Official College of Architects of the Community of Valencia, said, according to The New York Times.

The material has legal approval for construction use, but Valencia College of Industrial Technical Engineers Vice President Esther Puchades, after inspecting the aftermath, attributed the "voracity of the fire" to the polyurethane coating saying "when heated it is like plastic, it catches fire."

Puchades said she believed the incident would mark "a turning point" in Spain in the use of polyurethane coatings on buildings.

Declaring three days of official mourning in the city, Mayor Maria Jose Catala pledged practical help for those made homeless and trauma counseling while sending condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

"We have three psychologist service points for the people directly affected and their families, she wrote on social media.

"There are no words that describe the enormous pain that the city of Valencia is feeling right now."

Local state-run television station RTVE wrote on social media the city government was working on a solution for those affected by the fire for the coming months.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who was en route to the city Friday morning from Madrid, expressed shock but praised the efforts of emergency services and vowed to make available all necessary assistance from central government.

"Dismayed by the terrible fire in a building in Valencia," he wrote in a post on X.

"I just spoke with Valencia president Carlos Mason and Mayor Catala to learn first-hand about the situation and offer all the help that is necessary.

"I want to convey my solidarity to all the people affected and recognition to all the emergency personnel already deployed at the scene."