Heroic act
Caretaker offers Spain some comfort after fire inferno
After the major fire in a residential complex in Valencia, the number of deaths has continued to rise. photo
© Rober Solsona/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
Three days after the major fire in Valencia, Spain has not yet digested the tragedy. After the terrible images broadcast live on TV, an unlikely hero offers some consolation.
The authorities in the Mediterranean metropolis said there were no more missing people. Meanwhile, help for the around 140 homeless families really started rolling in at the weekend. The city made a building with 131 social apartments available for “the next few months”.
It will probably take longer for the families of the victims, the survivors who lost everything, and the entire country to fully come to terms with the tragedy. The Spaniards are primarily concerned with the question of how safe the tens of thousands of residential complexes that were built in holiday resorts on the Mediterranean during the construction boom of the 2000s are.
Caretaker Julián as a key figure
But amid uncertainty and sadness, an unlikely hero offered the country some comfort. Caretaker Julián noticed the fire early and ran from apartment door to apartment door to warn residents. He helped a 72-year-old down the stairs. With his thick, red winter jacket, he was not only the visual focus at a moving memorial ceremony in front of the town hall in Valencia with a minute’s silence and many tears.
Julián was cheered and hugged by hundreds, praised as a “key figure” by politicians, among others, and harassed by journalists and photographers. He said shyly: “I was only doing my duty.” The newspaper “El Mundo” and other papers had his picture on page one, and the state TV station RTVE celebrated “the little, big hero.” Without his selfless efforts, the number of victims would probably be much higher, it was said.
The modern residential complex contained around 140 apartments with around 450 residents. The fire broke out on Thursday around 5 p.m. and within a very short time had engulfed the entire residential complex with two wings. According to experts, the surprisingly rapid spread of the flames, which was broadcast live on TV, was probably due to flammable parts of the facade insulation. Strong winds also fanned the fire. However, various regional chambers of architects rejected the speculation and asked to wait for the results of the investigations. The judiciary initiated an investigation.