Posted on 02/13/2005 3:02:26 AM PST by Cornpone
MADRID (Reuters) - A fire described as the worst in Madrid's history has ravaged a 32-storey skyscraper in the Spanish capital's financial district, causing no injuries, but the tower stayed upright despite fears of collapse.
More than 100 firefighters worked all night to try to quell the spectacular blaze in Madrid's eighth tallest building. By morning on Sunday the flames had died down but the fire was still pumping a plume of white smoke into the sky over the capital.
"The fire is not under control," Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon told reporters. "We are all aware that we are fighting the biggest fire that the city of Madrid has had in its entire history," he said.
"The fire department is making an extraordinary effort to stop the fire spreading to surrounding buildings," he said.
Officials said the only injuries were four firefighters who had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
A fire department spokesman told state radio the fire might be put out some time on Sunday, although work on the building would continue for days.
Although much of the facade of the Windsor building collapsed in pieces during the night, the concrete structure of the 106-metre high building was holding.
The well-known Madrid landmark -- which houses the offices of U.S. accounting firm Deloitte & Touche -- was believed to have been empty when the fire started at 10:30 p.m. British time on Saturday.
The fire broke out on the 21st floor and was soon blazing out of control. Officials said an electrical short circuit was probably the cause of the blaze.
Bright orange flames devoured the building from the top down, stripping away its metal shell in twisted pieces to expose a smouldering concrete skeleton.
Giant balls of flame rose into the night as parts of its sides collapsed, raining fire on to the street below. Surrounding buildings were evacuated.
As dawn broke, television pictures showed the building lighting up the Madrid skyline like a giant torch.
The building, completed in 1979, is in a busy commercial area of northern Madrid near office blocks, shopping centres and Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu football stadium.
32 stories counts as a sky scraper in Spain?
It counts as one in my book.
Yep, 6 floors is about the norm for europe . Although there are some taller ones. Not many though.
The tallest skyscraper in my town is the church steeple. It must be almost 3 stories tall.
I saw video of this fire last night. It's the most spectacular skyscraper fire I've ever seen. Every floor was blazing like a torch.
I am curious about the claim that no one was in the building. Surely, even at night, there must be security and/or janitorial crews at work in a building that big.
The tallest buildings that I can think of in southern Spain are all Catholic cathedrals. Maybe there’s symbolism there as the job market is horrible.
Said it probably started w an electrical short. I know very little about about fire fighting/extinguishing (so this may sound like a dumb question to some) - -Don't the skyscraper/office buildings in Europe have sprinkler systems that would have put the fire out where it started?
I was living in Philadelphia in '91 when the 38 story One Meridian Plaza caught fire, right near City Hall. Burned a whole day.
I lived a few blocks from City Hall, so I had a front row seat.
Pretty amazing. The thing I remember most was when they busted out the windows of an adjacent high-rise and were shooting water from across the street.
As dawn broke, television pictures showed the building lighting up the Madrid skyline like a giant torch.
Wow, anyone know where there's web video of this available?
Barcepundit is blogging it:
http://barcepundit-english.blogspot.com/2005/02/one-of-madrids-tallest-buildings-in.html
Sprinkler systems didn't work.
Fire hydrants near the scene apparently weren't working.
Alarm system didn't go off.
***Hmmmm***
Madrid.
Deloit & Touche (capitalist pigs!) offices
Safety systems didn't work
Huge fire almost immediately
Looks like the WTC
You don't supporse there could be any FOUL PLAY here, do you????
Madrid webcams:
http://www.avendano.org/webcam.html (Good photos here)
I'm looking for more.
Impossible. Zapatero surrendered to the terrorists.
Anything above the ladder counts. Is there a warning not to stand on the top rung?
Wow.
Legend:
1. BBVA building in AZCA complex, designed by Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza.
2. Torre Picasso [site of the Windsor Bldg], also in AZCA, is the tallest building in Madrid. 43 storeys, 157 metres high, designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who also designed the World Trade Center in Manhattan.
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