HIBAPRESS – Barcelona: Omar Razzini
Five youths, including minors of Moroccan origin, died in a fire that broke out inside a residential building in the town of Manlleu, belonging to the province of Catalonia, northeastern Spain, in a tragic incident that garnered widespread attention in the Spanish media.
According to some sources, the fire broke out last evening inside an attic space in the building used as a warehouse, where the victims were present, despite it not being prepared for housing. The narrow nature of the space and the absence of safety conditions contributed to the rapid spread of smoke and fire, complicating the evacuation process. Reports indicated that emergency services received a notification of the incident at around nine o'clock in the evening, where fire and ambulance teams intervened urgently and managed to control the fire in a short time, but the victims had already died inside the place, often as a result of inhaling the thick smoke. Preliminary investigations, according to the same sources, indicated the possibility that the fire was caused by the burning of a mattress or an accidental malfunction inside the space, but the authorities have not yet decided on the final cause, pending the results of the investigation supervised by the Catalan police. The incident also resulted in several people being slightly injured, who were taken to the hospital for necessary treatment, while the authorities worked to secure the building and evacuate the rest of the residents as a precautionary measure. The tragedy left a great shock among the residents of Manlleu, especially in the neighborhood where it occurred, where neighbors expressed their deep sadness, confirming that the victims frequented the place frequently. The town also witnessed solidarity vigils to commemorate the victims. This incident brings to the forefront the problem of the exploitation of some spaces not prepared for housing, especially among young people, and the fatal risks that may result from the absence of safety and fire prevention conditions. Aziz Akhannouch Tahraoui.
