The fire that completely destroyed a building in Campanar and shocked all of Valencia began on the eighth floor, though the exact cause of the blaze remains unknown at this time.
According to the building’s administrator, the flames started at apartment 86 in one of the towers within a large residential complex located at the intersection of Avenida del Maestro Rodrigo and Poeta Rafael Alberti. The intensity of the fire caused it to spread rapidly through the entire structure, leaving the building largely ruined.
Rising prices after the housing crisis
The property was built in 2008, and its two-bedroom units initially sold for about 300,000 euros. Neighbors quoted by Levante-EMV, part of the Prensa Ibérica group, said the homes were difficult to sell and carried a high starting price during a period when the construction sector had not yet recovered.
As years passed and prices began to stabilize, the sale of the homes started to improve, progressing in several phases through the development.
The market’s slowest empties were the street-level commercial spaces. It took many years for residents to move into the housing while the street-facing stores finally found occupants. Eventually, an electric vehicle brand from China set up in a roundabout that already housed a well-known Valencia car dealership, marking a notable shift in the area’s commercial profile.
One highly combustible material
Yet despite elevated prices that characterized this new, middle-to-upper-income neighborhood, questions about the construction material used on the exterior emerged. The façade cladding is reported to be Alucobond, confirmed by the building’s administrator to the press. This surface had already caused concerns from the outset because it began to detach in places.
As one neighboring couple living in a nearby property observed, the panels of Alucobond appeared to peel away and fly off as the fire raged.
The coating system, which imitates a brushed metal finish, relies on a substantial backing attached to the wall. That backing is polyurethane foam, a material described by an architect as a highly flammable form of insulation, similar to other fireworks-dependent installations. The professional noted that the entire assembly can ignite very rapidly.
Another expert explained that a fire barrier or fireproof cladding should be in place to meet stringent fire-safety regulations, and suggested that something in the construction might not have been properly executed. The observation aligns with standards requiring façades to withstand fire for a significant period, often around 120 minutes, depending on local codes and the building’s classification.
Discussions about the fire’s origin have highlighted the tension between architectural aesthetics, insulation choices, and safety compliance in modern high-density housing. The incident underscores how critical it is for claddings to meet fire-safety expectations, particularly in buildings designed to house many residents. The questions raised by residents and experts alike focus on whether all applicable regulations and testing protocols were thoroughly followed, and how future renovations in similar towers can better balance design with robust protection against rapid flame spread.