WATCH: Fire in Valencia apartment complex in Spain kills at least 4, with 15 still feared missing

A 14-story building in Valencia caught fire on Thursday, February 22, killing at least 4 people, with 15 others still missing. According to the BBC, the massive blazes of fire engulfed a building in the Campanar neighborhood in the Spanish city of Valencia, spreading to the adjoining building soon after.

Experts on sight have claimed that flammable cladding of the buildings led to the fire spreading rapidly, the news outlet reported. The building manager shared with El Pais newspaper that the building contained 138 flats which homed over 450 residents.

The newspaper has also reported that 15 people, including 6 firefighters and a young child, have been injured in the incident, but none of their lives are threatened. María José Catalá, the Mayor of Valencia, shared that authorities were still trying to locate missing persons, who are believed to be 9 to 15 in number.

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Residents caught in the Valencia fire were rescued using cranes

Following the fire on Thursday, the Campanar block was a “giant fire-blackened shell” by early morning Friday, the BBC reported. More than 20 firefighters had assembled in the neighborhood to tackle the fire, while civilians were reportedly urged to stay away from the area.

The local reporters also shared with BBC how several residents of the building were rescued by the fire-fighters using cranes, including a couple who lived on the seventh floor.

CNN News reported that the fire started at around 5:30 PM local time (11:30 AM ET). Jorge Suárez, the deputy director of emergencies in Valencia, shared with the news outlet that the firefighters “struggled” to contain the fire and were “working exclusively” on cooling the building’s exterior.

They were not able to enter to address the fire from inside the building, “given the characteristics of the building.” The firefighters also had to analyze the building to assess whether there was a risk of it collapsing.

Speaking about the incident on TV channel La Sexta, a resident of the second floor stated that the flames grew rapidly after the fire started and that the material on the façade of the building may have caused it.

“The fire spread in a matter of 10 minutes.”

The building was originally constructed in 2008-09. Questions have been raised about the materials used in its construction in Spain in the aftermath of the fire.

Esther Puchades, the vice president of the College of Industrial Technical Engineers, told EFE – a Spanish news agency – that she had previously inspected the building.

“The reason the [building] burned so fast is because of this type of cladding.”

According to BBC, the experts described the cladding to be effective for heat insulation, with the ventilation and gaps between it and the covering making it highly inflammable.

Luis Sendra, a member of Valencia’s architect’s association, stated it can cause a “chimney effect,” allowing the fire to spread quickly.

Here’s the statement of Valencia’s mayor shared with CNN News regarding the fire:

“There are no words that describe the enormous pain that the city of Valencia is feeling right now. All our support and deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victims.”

Mayor Catalá has also issued three days of official mourning in the city starting Friday, February 23.