The Mossos d’Esquadra have opened an investigation to clarify the causes of the fire that burned several huts located between Bac de Roda and Huelva streets, in the vicinity of the works of the Sagrera station. Agents of the Scientific Police moved to the site early in the morning to examine the various sources where the flames started and determine whether the event could have been caused by arson.
As reported by EL PERIÓDICO, the police do not rule out for now that there could be a crime behind the fire. The initial ocular inspection points to several starting points, which has led investigators to check whether there was an intentional intervention or, on the contrary, negligence.
Explosions and flammable material: the first clues
Several witnesses quoted by the media indicate that there were “three or four explosions” during the fire. The Mossos are working to determine whether these detonations occurred before or after the start of the fire, a key clue to define the origin of the incident.
During the inspection, butane canisters and highly combustible material were found among the remains of the settlement, elements that could have amplified the flames or be directly related to the explosions mentioned by witnesses.
Six huts burned and two slightly injured
The fire started before 7:00 a.m. and generated very high flames, visible from the neighborhoods of Navas and Sant Martí. At 8:30 a.m., the emergency teams had already managed to extinguish it, which allowed rapid progress in the investigation.
The fire left two people slightly injured. One of them suffered a cut finger and was discharged at the same place. The second, with burns, was taken to the Vall d’Hebron hospital. Agents of the Regional Area of Operational Resources (ARRO) rescued this victim from the flames, according to police sources.
Extensive emergency deployment
The Barcelona Fire Brigade was on hand with 10 firefighting teams to extinguish the fire. Also, several patrols of the Mossos and the Guardia Urbana, as well as four ambulances of the Sistema d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) were sent to the area.
The rapid intervention prevented a more serious outcome in a highly vulnerable settlement with the presence of flammable elements.
Fire reopens political debate on settlements
The incident has had an immediate echo in the Barcelona City Council and has revived the debate on the lack of municipal intervention in these areas. The leader of the PP in Barcelona, Daniel Sirera, recalled that he has been “demanding for months the eviction of the settlement of shacks on the bridge of Bac de Roda”.
The mayor stressed that it is not the first time that one of these camps has suffered a fire: “The government of Jaume Collboni does absolutely nothing: in addition to the adults who live badly, the city council allows minors to live here and allows them to live with rats, cockroaches, people who traffic…”, he denounced.
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Impresionante incendio de una excavadora en Sant Antoni
Sirera added that “everything is accumulated and the situation is dangerous, it is returning to the old shantyism”. The popular went to the area of the fire to assess the damage and reiterate his criticism of the consistory.
A vulnerable settlement in the police spotlight
The affected settlement is made up of several shacks inhabited by homeless people in an area bordering construction sites and industrial areas. The precariousness of the constructions, together with the accumulation of flammable materials, makes these areas particularly at risk in the event of any incident.
The Mossos will continue with the inspections to identify the origin of the fire and clarify whether it was an accident or arson. The results of the expert reports will determine the next steps in the investigation.
