Four arrested for fire in Valencia building's ground floor

The fire was caused by negligence during welding work in an occupied property filled with debris.

Generic image of police emergency lights reflecting on wet asphalt at night.
IA

Generic image of police emergency lights reflecting on wet asphalt at night.

The National Police have arrested four people for the fire that broke out yesterday afternoon in the ground floors of numbers 23 and 25 Picayo Street, in Valencia's Benicalap neighborhood.

Reportedly, the detainees are workers who were carrying out welding tasks on the metal doors of the property, which had recently been judicially evicted of its illegal occupants. An alleged negligence, such as a spark, is believed to have ignited the high accumulation of rubbish and flammable material present in the premises.
The fire, which began around 4:15 PM yesterday, Thursday, generated a large blaze that forced the evacuation of residents from two nearby buildings. Some residents had to spend the night in city hotels. The squat settlement had been established in the ground floors for about six years, causing coexistence problems for neighbors due to bad smells, pests, and insults.
The ground floors, which connect to a large plot of land, had housed dozens of people. Neighbors described the coexistence as very difficult. The eviction occurred in the morning, with the construction of the Gil Sumbiela PAI on the horizon, and in the afternoon, repair work on the doors began, ultimately triggering the fire.