Blaze in squat near Barcelona kills at least two

"It was a squat which we had for years known could end in tragedy," Badalona's new mayor Xavier Garcia Albiol told local media at the site of the fire. Miquel Samper, in charge of interior affairs in the regional Catalan government, said that the origin of the fire was not known yet.

Flames ripped through an abandoned warehouse occupied by scores of squatters near Barcelona, killing at least two people and injuring at least 19 overnight, emergency services said. The fire, which sent a huge could of smoke into the air, was under control by Thursday morning, but authorities said parts of the building had collapsed and there was a risk the whole structure could fall, complicating rescue efforts.

It was not clear how many people were in the warehouse in Badalona when the blaze started late on Wednesday, but authorities said it had been a squat for at least ten years and that many illegal immigrants often slept there. It had housed as many as 180 people in the past, a Catalan interior department spokesman said.

Many people who were sleeping there managed to escape, acting regional chief Pere Aragones told broadcaster TVE. "We don't know exactly how many people there were at the time of the fire," Aragones added. "We'll need to see if there could be someone who remains trapped inside."

Emergency services treated 19 people, three are in a critical state, four others are seriously injured and the others had mild injuries. "It was a squat which we had for years known could end in tragedy," Badalona's new mayor Xavier Garcia Albiol told local media at the site of the fire.

Miquel Samper, in charge of interior affairs in the regional Catalan government, said that the origin of the fire was not known yet.