A 20-story apartment building caught fire and ‘melted like butter’ in just 30 minutes after first flames were spotted.
The shocking incident that has been compared to the Grenfell Tower fire takes place in Milan, Italy, where the Torre dei Moro apartment building caught fire on Sunday afternoon.
According to the reports, a resident first spotted the fire somewhere on the 15th floor at around 5.30 pm. In the following 30 minutes, the entire building was engulfed by large flames and a cloud of black smoke that was seen from miles away.
While the fire was eventually suppressed, the authorities now fear that the structural integrity of the building might have been compromised in the blaze.
As one of the building’s residents revealed in an interview with Corriere, the sides of the apartment block melted like butter even though people were reassured that the cladding is fire-proof.
“We were told that the panels that covered the building were fireproof, instead, they burned quickly like butter,” the local said.
“The technicians will do a check, but I remember perfectly well that they told us that the panels were fire resistant.”
As of this writing, it is not yet clear what caused the fire. The authorities, however, confirmed that the exterior cladding that made the building look like the keel of a ship contributed to the fast spread of the flames.
“The cause of the fire still needs to be determined, but it seems that the rapid spread of the flames was due to the thermal covering of the building,” Carlo Sibia of the Interior Ministry said.
Fortunately, everyone was safely evacuated before the building was consumed by flames. According to the local reports, there were no hospitalizations even though some residents were checked and treated by doctors at the scene.
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