Two nights, two cities, two tragedies. Catalonia is once again in the spotlight after deadly fires broke out almost simultaneously in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Constantí. The incidents claimed the lives of men aged 77 and 54. Both cases occurred in residential buildings, leaving behind not just ashes, but many unanswered questions.
In the evening, as most L’Hospitalet residents were preparing for bed, a disturbing alarm sounded on calle Uva. A fire had broken out in a six-story building. Flames quickly engulfed a room on the fifth floor, where the deceased man was found. Neighbors ran out in panic to stairwells, while others tried to shelter in their apartments, hoping the fire wouldn’t reach them.
Emergency services
Firefighters arrived at the scene within minutes. Two teams worked inside the building: one focused on extinguishing the blaze and searching for the missing resident, while the other checked the stairwells to ensure no one was trapped. In total, eight fire units were deployed. At the same time, police vehicles arrived, taking charge of investigating the cause of the fire and handling all required paperwork.
Emergency medical services (SEM) assisted eight victims. One of them was hospitalized in Hospital de Bellvitge, while the others received on-site care and were able to return home. Psychologists provided support to those who experienced severe stress. A municipal architect assessed the building’s condition, and social services arranged accommodation for residents who could not return to their apartments.
Fire in Constantí
While emotions were still running high in L’Hospitalet, another alarm was raised in Constantí, in the province of Tarragona. A fire broke out on the fourth floor of a multi-story building on calle Horts. The flames quickly spread up the facade to the upper floors. Residents found themselves trapped—some ran onto balconies, others made their way to the roof, hoping to be rescued.
Firefighters arriving at the scene saw people waving from windows and the roof. Using an aerial ladder, they evacuated two people from the fifth floor and two more from the terrace on the roof. The remaining residents stayed isolated in their apartments, managing to avoid smoke and flames. Unfortunately, a 54-year-old man was found dead in one of the apartments.
Aftermath and unanswered questions
Both incidents left behind not only destroyed apartments but also many lives changed overnight. In L’Hospitalet, some residents could not return home and had to seek temporary shelter. In Constantí, survivors are still struggling to recover from the shock of what happened.
Fires in residential buildings are always a tragedy, but when lives are lost, it becomes clear that prevention and rapid response by emergency services are not just about safety, but survival. This time, emergency crews responded as quickly as possible, but unfortunately, not everyone could be saved. Questions about the cause of the fire and whether the tragedy could have been prevented remain unanswered. And honestly, no one wants to see stories like this happen again.
