The premises where the incident happened. EFE

Family of four squatters, including two young children, die in Barcelona fire

It has been confirmed that hours before the tragic event, there had been an altercation at the doors of the former bank premises involving the deceased couple and some local residents

CRISTIAN REINO

Tuesday, 30 November 2021, 10:45

Two adults and two young children have died in Barcelona city centre this Tuesday morning (30 November), after a fire broke out in empty bank premises where they were squatting. The blaze broke out at around 6am in Barcelona's Plaza de Tetuán, after a night of intense cold.

In addition to the family of four that lost their lives - including a baby and a three-year-old child - there was another family of four on the premises. All of them have been injured and transferred to hospital.

The empty bank premises where the fire broke out was on list of areas at risk that the Generalitat regional government made after the fire in a warehouse in Badalona (Barcelona) in which three people died a year ago.

The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has accused banking entities of ‘ignoring’ their empty premises. Colau also pointed out that the council's social services team had already offered help to the family, but as she pointed out, it was not the type of family that usually asks the authorities for help.

"It's terrible," she added. “It cannot be allowed that there are empty premises and the property is neglected by its owners," she said.

Police called to altercation

The Mossos regional police force and the fire brigade are investigating the cause of fire, but it has been confirmed that hours before the tragic event, there had been an altercation at the doors of the premises, involving the deceased couple and some local residents, and police had attended.