MADRID residents have voiced alarm over safety in their district after a squatted apartment in the heart of their neighbourhood caught fire last week.
Emergency services evacuated the building on Avenida los Carabancheles in Alcorcon, south Madrid, after a fire broke out in the occupied flat at around 1am on Wednesday.
Several residents, many of whom live in the same block as the squatters, said they have felt “unsafe” in the district since the illegal occupants moved in last May.
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A woman told Telemadrid: “We were asleep. Then at 1am, police started banging on the door telling us to evacuate.”
Another witness described seeing smoke rising into her bathroom in the middle of the night.
“The house started filling with smoke. Our eyes were beginning to sting, so we left in a hurry,” she said.
The incident followed repeated reports from neighbours of loud music, shouting, fights and other disruptions they say have plagued the block over the past seven months.
Residents also reported an earlier inundation in the building, adding to the mounting sense of insecurity.
Neighbours warned the fire, which forced police to seal off the building, could have turned deadly, highlighting months of safety worries.
They say peace has still not returned, with other squats continuing to cause trouble in the area.
Residents are now calling on authorities to step in and kick out the illegal occupants before disaster strikes again.
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