Alex Trelinski
TWO men have been arrested for looting the building complex destroyed by fire in Valencia on February 28.
The Algerian nationals, aged 23 and 51, were surprised by two Valencia Policia Local officers at 2.00am on Tuesday.
Officers carrying out surveillance work outside the damaged building in the Campanar district of the city heard noises coming from inside- especially from areas facing Calle Poeta Rafael Alberti.
They called for back up and went into the complex where they surprised the two thieves on the second floor.
The men ran away but one of them was intercepted and detained a few metres from the building by one of the support patrols that had just arrived.
The second thief was caught on Calle Alquería de Rico.
Police found a sports bag lying on the second floor containing several water taps as well as hammers and pliers.
The taps had been taken from several homes on the second and third floors.
After the robbery, patrols have been stepped up in the area to prevent further looting.
In recent days, police officers have spotted several people suspiciously loitering around the buildings hit by the blaze.
The complex can only be entered by residents- accompanied by firefighters- so that they recover some of their belongings.
Police and specialists are also continuing their work to clarify the cause of the fire and continue damage assessment.
Valencia’s mayor, Maria Jose Catala, praised the Policia Local officers and described the looting as ‘regrettable’.
She added that there are around thirty homes that still need to be inspected in order to get personal effects , including the property where the fire started.
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