A fire engulfed a 14-storey apartment building in Valencia, Spain, last Thursday, resulting in the death of 10 people. The last couple to be rescued from the burning building was Sara Jorge and her boyfriend. They were working in their apartment when they heard sirens and soon discovered that a fire had broken out in the neighboring building. The fire quickly spread to their building via a connecting bridge.
Sara recalls initially thinking the situation was under control and deciding to stay in their apartment. However, they soon saw smoke and realized they needed to evacuate. By this time, their building was already consumed by the fire, and they were unable to exit through the corridor due to the flames. They jumped onto a side balcony and waited for over an hour before firefighters could reach them with a crane.
Sara and her boyfriend were the last couple to be rescued from the burning building. They didn’t realize that their rescue was being watched by onlookers until they reached the ground. Sara says she feels numb and is still processing her emotions.
An investigation into the fire has begun. The cladding used on the facade of the building is suspected to have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. Reports suggest that this material was banned in 2019 due to its flammability, but it was not removed from buildings that had already used it.
Sara knew that the building was poorly constructed and prone to flooding. She says there were many red flags, but they stayed because they had a comfortable apartment. She now questions why the banned cladding was allowed to remain on the building.
The fire-ravaged towers are now uninhabitable. The residents have been relocated to hotels until the end of the month and will then be moved to newly-built social housing. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with costs, including funeral expenses for those who perished in the fire.
Sara expresses her gratitude to the firefighters who risked their lives to save them. She says she feels lucky to be alive and is still coming to terms with her emotions.
