AFP
‘We lost everything in minutes’: Spanish fire survivors fall into extreme poverty
The Ukrainian couple escaped the Russian invasion because they were staying in Israel. Later, they emigrated from Israel to Spain, so they could not take part in the Gaza war. However, a fire destroyed a residential area in Valencia and they lost everything. A young woman who gave her name only as Lisa told AFP that she had flown into the Gaza Strip. She was at the post office with her husband when the fire broke out around 5:30pm (16:30 Japan time). The 34-year-old said she “had a dog in the apartment, so she came back and saw black smoke and started running.” “By the time we arrived, the top floor was on fire,” she told AFP, describing a chaotic scene with “debris falling everywhere from the facade of the building.” At least nine people were killed in a 14-story apartment complex in the eastern port city of Valencia. Lisa’s husband repeatedly entered the burning building to rescue their dog, Asher, who was trapped in their ninth-floor apartment. I couldn’t get past the 6th floor. “Our dog, she was with us for 10 years, and that was the worst,” she said, breaking down in tears. She wasn’t sleeping or eating, and to avoid that she was “trying to stay busy.” “We came here nostalgic for the war in Ukraine, nostalgic for the war in Israel. And now this.” Among the things they lost were Spanish identity cards and Ukrainian passports. Everything was included. Without documentation, I have no idea how I will find another place to live. Experts say the building is covered in highly flammable cladding and could pose a danger. The cause was explained as the fire spreading rapidly and sending sheets of flame into the building. – “In minutes, we lost everything” – Deadly fire left hundreds homeless and reduced to poverty. “In just a few minutes, we lost everything,” said Jose Carlos Pérez, 53, standing outside a hotel in central Valencia wearing dirty joggers and a sweatshirt. “And now I don’t own anything except what I’m wearing,” he said. Perez, a former bank employee, said he was living in an apartment on the 12th floor when the fire broke out. Suddenly I smelled smoke and saw the building on fire from the terrace. He jumped out to go down the stairs with his neighbors on the same floor, and they all escaped safely. “The situation was so tense that some people threw tantrums and others started crying,” Perez told AFP. “You have to know how to stay calm when things go wrong.” Perez was left alone for several days by authorities, who spent sleepless nights in a hotel with many evacuees. He has no idea what will happen next. “There’s nothing left, so we have to start all over again,” he said. Local communities rallied as hundreds of people were left with only the clothes on their backs. We donated everything from clothes to books to shoes to toys. All the supplies were being handed out by an army of volunteers several blocks away from the smoldering ruins. Dozens of people crowded around tables piled with clothing and stuffed blankets, books and shoes into cardboard boxes. Some carried away bags containing diapers and other sanitary products. “Honestly, I can’t imagine how these people feel,” 24-year-old volunteer Bruno Roma told AFP. “I just want to help in any way I can,” he added, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of donations and smiling at the generosity of the local community. vid-hmw/jj