December 14, 2020
MADRID (Reuters) – A fourth victim was found dead in the charred remains of an abandoned warehouse used as a squat by migrants, which burned down last week in a Barcelona suburb, firefighters said on Monday.
“We regret that a few minutes ago a fourth victim was found during the process of demolishing the building in Badalona,” regional official Miquel Samper told reporters. “We hope no more victims will be found in the ongoing demolition process.”
A blaze that started Wednesday evening and raged until Thursday morning devastated the squat, where dozens of mostly African migrants lived in precarious conditions in Badalona, an industrial suburb of Barcelona.
The disaster threw a spotlight on the dire living conditions of Spain’s undocumented migrants. Dozens of places like this are used as shelters by migrants all over the country.
Neighbours saw people fleeing from the building and even a few jumping from windows during the blaze. The fire damaged the building’s structure and a team of specialist workers are now tearing it down.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Nathan Allen and Giles Elgood)
