AN electric vehicle was behind a deadly car park blaze in Madrid on Wednesday, it has emerged.
Two firefighters died while battling the inferno inside an underground garage on Calle Lilos, in the town of Alcorcon.
The tragedy began shortly before 4pm when a car crashed into another parked vehicle before setting on fire and exploding. The blaze spread to at least seven other cars, causing a series of explosions and a serious fire.
According to respected Spanish newspaper El Español, the car that crashed was a green electric Porsche Taycan, driven by a local resident named only as Javier.
He said he pressed the wrong pedal upon entering the garage and crashed into another car, at which point the Porsche’s battery ignited and started a fire.
While Javier managed to get to safety, the ensuing blaze would cause a series of explosions that sparked panic and saw residents flee their homes.
Local builders who were working nearby, named as Erik Estrada and Wilfredo Guzman, told El Español how they saw a ‘large cloud of smoke’ and heard ‘screams coming from the garage.’
One added: ‘When we approached, we found a man who kept calling for help and assistance, along with his wife, on the garage ramp.
‘We ran toward him and pulled him outside so he could breathe. It was impossible to get close because a thick cloud of black smoke was coming out of the garage.’
According to the Summa 112 emergency service, one of the firefighters died of a cardiac arrest while being transferred to Getafe University Hospital, while a second was found dead inside the car park.
A third was in intubated with severe burns and was in critical condition overnight after also suffering from smoke inhalation, while more than a dozen others required treatment.
The fire broke out just before 4pm in the Las Retamas neighbourhood. Locals were placed into ‘lockdown’ due to the seriousness of the incident.
