About 15 residents were evacuated from a building in El Raval after a fire at the Família Begum reparació bicycle repair and rental shop, at 17 Carrer de Sant Vicenç, at around 07:00 on Tuesday 13 October.

For those who left the building, returning home depends on a pending structural safety assessment. Three people were treated by the Sistema d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM), Catalonia’s emergency medical service, for smoke inhalation; all were reported to have minor injuries.

According to reporting by ElCaso.cat, the fire began in the ground-floor premises of the residential building. The cause has not been established.

Fire extinguished, building safety still to be assessed

Bombers de Barcelona, the city fire service, attended with the Guàrdia Urbana municipal police and SEM. Municipal sources told ElCaso.cat that firefighters extinguished the fire before ventilating and cooling the affected area.

The emergency response involved:

  • the evacuation of up to 15 people from the Ciutat Vella building;
  • medical treatment for three people affected by smoke;
  • ventilation and cooling work after the flames were put out.

The business manager told ElCaso.cat that an inspector was expected to examine the premises on Tuesday afternoon. The assessment is intended to establish whether the building has suffered damage that would make it unsafe for residents to return.

The family who own the shop had been contacted by police, according to the report, but did not know what caused the fire.

Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat, barcelona.cat. Reported by barnadiario.com, elcaso.elnacional.cat, barcelonapress.com, Barna Diario.