Three police officers have been injured after forcing their way into a smoke-filled flat in Sevilla where a man allegedly tried to blow up the building using four butane cylinders.

One cylinder’s valve was already on fire when officers arrived at the block in El Tardon, in the Triana district, in the early hours of October 26.

Looking through a window, they saw the man throwing paper and plastic onto the flames, Sevilla City Council said.

Officers tried to persuade him to let them in. The council said he became hostile and told them he intended to cause a catastrophe in the building.

Fearing an explosion, officers forced their way into the flat, where thick smoke had spread through the rooms.

The man allegedly brandished a blade at them, and three officers were injured in the struggle to restrain him.

Once he was subdued, officers used a fire extinguisher and a blanket to smother the flames. Firefighters finished putting out the fire, cleared the smoke and inspected the gas cylinders.

The man was arrested and taken to a medical centre for treatment before being transferred to a police station.

Sevilla’s security councillor, Ignacio Flores, said the quick response by police and firefighters had prevented potentially tragic consequences for residents of the block and the surrounding neighbourhood.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.