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Office Building in Downtown Madrid Engulfed by Flames, Top Six Buildings
The Associated Press ^ | Feb 12, 2005 | The Associated Press

Posted on 02/12/2005 6:01:42 PM PST by Jet Jaguar

MADRID, Spain (AP) - A raging fire swept through the upper levels of a 32-story office building in downtown Madrid early Sunday, melting the structure like a candle and collapsing the top six floors in a shower of flaming debris.

TV footage showed bright orange flames shooting out the sides of the Windsor Building, believed to be empty and located near one of Madrid's main boulevards. The fire started around 11:30 p.m. Saturday and was still burning out of control more than two hours later.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Firefighters and police evacuated nearby buildings and streets for fear of a total collapse, and emergency service spokesman Javier Ayuso said three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and exhaustion.

At least nine stories of the upper part of the building were on fire.

The Windsor Building was built in 1973 and is a landmark structure in Madrid's business district. It was surrounded by scaffolding due to recent repairs, Ayuso said.

AP-ES-02-12-05 2041EST


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: fire; madrid; spain; weirdheadline; windsorbuilding
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1 posted on 02/12/2005 6:01:43 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
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To: Jet Jaguar

Hopefully there were no people there, since it happened on a Sunday.


Did they say anything about the cause?


2 posted on 02/12/2005 6:03:13 PM PST by FairOpinion
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To: Jet Jaguar
"It was surrounded by scaffolding due to recent repairs, Ayuso said."

this makes it more easy to at least beleive that it may be accidental and not the efforts of terrorists; that said. . .will just have to wait/see.

3 posted on 02/12/2005 6:04:51 PM PST by cricket (Just say - NO U.N.)
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To: FairOpinion

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Madrid+fire&btnG=Search+News

Nothing yet.


4 posted on 02/12/2005 6:06:01 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
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To: FairOpinion
Fox is flashing back to it from time to time.
You gotta wonder if there's an Al Qieda connection.
5 posted on 02/12/2005 6:06:04 PM PST by wolfpat (Dum vivimus, vivamus)
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To: cricket

That's my take on it, too.

At least for now.


6 posted on 02/12/2005 6:07:39 PM PST by SmithL (Proud Submariner)
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To: Jet Jaguar

The building was empty when the fire started in the early hours of Saturday.

Large pieces of the building plunged to the ground as the blaze ate through its top floors, sending a column of black smoke into the air. Scores of bystanders watched as the flames lit up the night.

More than a dozen fire engines rushed to the scene, just off Madrid's main thoroughfare the Paseo de la Castellana, but were able to do little to calm the inferno.

"It is impossible for the fire service to put out the fire in the building itself," Gallardon told reporters at the scene.

"We have started to evacuate the area and we are cooling the buildings to stop the fire spreading," he said.

The mayor said the cause of the blaze was unclear but the building was empty when the fire started. No civilians had been injured but three firemen were being treated for smoke inhalation, he said.


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7610700


7 posted on 02/12/2005 6:07:57 PM PST by kcvl
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8 posted on 02/12/2005 6:09:19 PM PST by kcvl
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To: SmithL

State radio said the fire started on the 21st floor.


9 posted on 02/12/2005 6:10:29 PM PST by kcvl
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To: Jet Jaguar
PICTURE OF THE BUILDING
10 posted on 02/12/2005 6:10:53 PM PST by doug from upland (Ray Charles --- a great musician and safer driver than Ted Kennedy)
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To: Jet Jaguar

It breaks my heart. The building is located next to the department store where I used to go shopping when I was a teenager. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo says that the fire was caused by a shortcircuit in the electric system. I wish I could believe it.


11 posted on 02/12/2005 6:14:21 PM PST by Former Fetus (fetuses are 100% pro-life, they just don't vote yet!)
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To: Jet Jaguar; Lijahsbubbe; aculeus; martin_fierro; MadIvan; lolhelp
TV footage showed bright orange flames shooting out the sides of the Windsor Building...

Ruh roh...

12 posted on 02/12/2005 6:14:25 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal
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To: cricket; Jet Jaguar
"It was surrounded by scaffolding due to recent repairs, Ayuso said."

I used to do fire investigation in the happy long-ago.

In 99 and 94/100ths of all fire cases, "recent repairs" = fire started by uncontrolled heat source, usually welding equipment or a plumber's brazing torch used without a proper heat shield, or a space heater accidentally left on near combustibles.

If you can get at your plumbing in your crawlspace or behind a access hatch, look at all the scorch marks on the framing wherever the plumbers soldered a joint in the copper pipes. They ought to use asbestos sheets for backing, but they never do . . . too much trouble I guess, same reason the electricians use those abominable push connectors in the junction and switch boxes. Occasionally they heat the framing enough for it to smoulder, and bingo - large blazing fire by next morning.

13 posted on 02/12/2005 6:14:54 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
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To: FairOpinion
Windsor Building, believed to be empty and located near one of Madrid's main boulevards.

Being a third generation Spanish descendant I visited Spain back in the Eighties. I found it intriguing that in Seville sector after sector of four story 'townhouses' were only occupied on the first floor. The top floors were not. If there is an al-Queada link that's just chickens coming home to roost.

14 posted on 02/12/2005 6:14:54 PM PST by Calusa (Red States, blue counties.)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Years back that happened to a high rise in Philly

Lost a number of good firefights

Prayers going out for the saftey of all


15 posted on 02/12/2005 6:15:18 PM PST by Mo1 (Question to Liberals .. When did supporting and defending Freedom become a bad thing??)
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To: cricket; Jet Jaguar

One other thought - the fire started Saturday night. I don't know Spanish workers' Saturday work schedule, but my money says they were anxious to get home early on Saturday, somebody forgot to switch something off, and by about 11:30 whatever was smouldering had time to burst into flame.


16 posted on 02/12/2005 6:16:06 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
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To: kcvl

That fire looks really bad


17 posted on 02/12/2005 6:17:09 PM PST by Mo1 (Question to Liberals .. When did supporting and defending Freedom become a bad thing??)
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To: AnAmericanMother
They ought to use asbestos sheets for backing,

I don't think you can get that any more, thanks to the plaintiff's bar and asbestoes litigation.

18 posted on 02/12/2005 6:37:15 PM PST by PAR35
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To: Jet Jaguar

Gee, there sure are a lot of bad things happening in Madrid these days. And they thought they had appeased their way to peace. Now they must grow up.


19 posted on 02/12/2005 6:37:52 PM PST by montag813
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To: Mo1

This from Drudge...

20 posted on 02/12/2005 6:40:30 PM PST by kcvl
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