Four dead as Valencia apartment block gutted by flames fanned by high winds, official says

Spanish firefighters have been battling high winds to put out a huge fire that gutted a multi-story apartment block in Valencia and left four dead, Report informs via The Guardian.

At least 13 people have been injured, including a minor and six firefighters, emergency services and regional officials in the eastern port city said, without providing details on the extent of the injuries. The emergency services earlier said seven people were lightly injured, mostly from smoke inhalation.

“It can be confirmed that four people have died,” Jorge Suarez Torres, deputy director of emergency services for the Valencia region, told reporters.

Images showed flames and vast clouds of black smoke engulfing the building in the Campanar neighborhood in western Valencia, with 22 teams of firefighters called in to fight the fire, which also spread to a neighboring building.