Windsor Tower: A Fire That Still Sparks Theories
The destruction of Windsor Tower, a landmark that shaped Madrid’s skyline, invites questions about whether it was an accident or sabotage. The documentary series “The Curse of Windsor” on HBO Max—premiering in two installments—goes beyond the known facts. It offers a spectrum of theories and urban legends that have fed Spain’s collective imagination for nearly two decades, keeping the event alive in national pop culture.
Directors Raul Calabia and Victor Morilla, who oversaw both the screenplay and the project’s development, chose not to settle for a single version. The program draws on a wide array of references: firefighters who tackled the blaze and reportedly left the building before its collapse; journalists who pursued every lead and kept digging; experts who analyzed the fire’s causes; and even a lawyer recording famous silhouettes seen late at night. The cast of voices includes architects who designed the tower, a parapsychologist, and a conspiracy psychologist, all contributing to a broader, more layered narrative.
A Giant in Flames
On the night of February 12, 2005, Spain watched in collective suspense as Windsor Tower burned. The event resonated in a country still processing memories of the 9/11 attacks and the Madrid train bombings a year earlier. Marta Gonzalez Novo of Cadena Ser recalls the night with vivid images of dust and smoke, describing the early hours as profoundly somber.
The Curse of Windsor approaches the case with a blend of humor and gravity. Calabía notes that the audience can engage with the story without feeling complicit in tragedy. The series treats the incident with a gaming sensibility, likening the investigation to a true-crime mystery where a building becomes the victim. Within this framework, a fictional board mirrors the real-area dynamics: the AZCA financial complex, the BBVA headquarters, and a Villarejo office converge in the same locale, expanding the scope beyond a simple fire.
Though early rumors pointed to a single cigarette butt or a discarded trash can as the blaze’s origin, the program cautions against a single, easy explanation. The narrative emphasizes that certain details merit closer scrutiny, and it invites viewers to consider broader historical and social contexts. Morilla explains that the documentary prompts reflection on postwar and recent history, including the fortunes of a wealthy family tied to property—an empire whose crown jewel was Windsor Tower—and the tall tales of banking conspiracies linking the fire to investigations into FG Valores. The storyline weaves paranoia with genuine investigations, offering a mosaic of possibilities.
Myths linger—blue flames, a basement button, and silhouettes seen in unlit hours after everyone else had evacuated. The series presents some answers but leaves others open to interpretation. Calabría cites a theory in which those silhouettes could be both literal and metaphorical, while Morilla notes that a firefighter’s reflex explanation was rejected by the judiciary. The question remains: who were those figures, and how did they gain access to the evacuated spaces?
Always Villarejo
Describing The Curse of Windsor as a mere documentary would miss its edge. It operates as a thriller with twists that rival the most inventive fiction, a postmodern experiment that intertwines ideas from William James’s multiverse to Schrödinger’s cat, and echoes of classic supernatural cinema. The narrative references a range of tonalities and pop-cultural touchstones, presenting a story of shadows and secrets. In the film, the former commissioner Villarejo is cast in a Frankenstein-like role, a figure of immense reach whose purported knowledge of hidden networks makes him a central, haunting presence in the journalist’s account of the case.
For a time, Villarejo theorists suggested he might have a hand in the fire, allegedly to suppress dangerous information. Calabría and Morilla sought him out, engaging with the figure who looms over a network of intrigue. The interview concludes with a pragmatic note: Villarejo did not deny involvement but suggested a future collaboration that never materialized, leaving the door open to speculation rather than closure.