After eviction, fire in Valencia squatted building forces 80 evacuations, 70 to hotels

A morning eviction, an afternoon fire

Around 16:00 on Thursday, a fire erupted in the basement of a building on Calle Picayo in Valencia’s Benicalap district, just hours after a court-ordered eviction cleared the squatted premises. Up to ten families had lived in the basement for five years, but only a few remained that morning when police enforced the judicial order. The fire generated a towering column of black smoke visible across the neighbourhood, evoking memories of the deadly Campanar fire in 2024 that killed 10 people.

Firefight and evacuation

Firefighters from the Campanar, West and South stations arrived within minutes and brought the flames under control. The fire did not spread to the upper floors, but thick smoke seeped into the apartments above, forcing the precautionary evacuation of around 80 residents from portals 23 and 25. Mayor María José Catalá, who visited the scene at 18:00, emphasised that emergency crews were also rescuing pets left behind.

“We are rescuing pets. The neighbours are telling us they might be in both residential blocks. We are attending to all the residents.”

Investigation and suspicions

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the National Police. Catalá acknowledged there were “different hypotheses” but declined to speculate. Some neighbours suspected arson by the evicted occupants, but Isabel, a former resident of the basement, rejected the accusations. She showed this newspaper a mobile phone video appearing to show workers using a blowtorch as they sealed the basement entrances shortly before the fire started.

“Immediately they started saying it was us, the gypsies, who were to blame, but it’s not true. And we have a video.”

An explosion was heard by several witnesses.

Relocation and recovery

By the evening, municipal social services had set up a special assistance unit (SAUS) to support families unable to return. Residents of portal 23 were allowed to go home, while about 70 people from number 25 were relocated to three hotels across the city. No injuries or smoke inhalation cases were reported, and the structural integrity of the building was confirmed not to be compromised by the fire, which was confined to the basement.