Following the devastating fire that tore through a residential block in Valencia last Thursday, my thoughts are primarily with the families grieving the loss of their loved ones, those suffering injuries, people who've lost their homes, and the brave firefighters who've been injured. I hold immense gratitude and respect for all the firefighters and emergency services personnel who faced the blaze with unwavering courage.

I also understand that the horror of the Valencia fire must be a cause for concern for anyone thinking of purchasing property in Spain, and for those who already own property there and are concerned that a similar tragedy may occur in their own building.

Details of what caused the fire will, of course, be established by a thorough investigation and report, and this will take time. However, there are some details that are immediately apparent, and in this article, I will address the facts as they are known, and explain what you should do if you are concerned.

Echoes of Grenfell: A Cladding Catastrophe

The Valencia fire, suspected to have been started by an electrical fault, has brought to light a terrifying problem that reflects the Grenfell Disaster that hit an apartment block in London in 2017.

Initial reports and observations indicate that the cladding on the tower was a flammable polyurethane material wrapped in aluminum with an air gap between the cladding and the main structure. This air gap created a deadly chimney effect causing the fire to ascend rapidly but also caused melting polyurethane to fall, spreading the blaze to lower levels. This scenario is entirely reminiscent of the events at Grenfell.

Remarkably, the death toll in Valencia stands at 10, an awful loss of life, but a figure much lower than the 72 souls that perished in Grenfell tower despite the buildings' similar occupancy levels.

Pending detailed investigation and reports, it is suggested that various factors may have resulted in the lower death toll.

Whereas Grenfell was an older building that had been refurbished, the Valencia building had more modern fire safety features, which required fire insulation in stairwells. This may have made evacuation easier. Also, the advisory to "stay put" that kept Grenfell residents in their flats as the fire spread opposes the policy to evacuate, which is prevalent in Spain.

Grenfell, while a similar-sized building, had many more floors above the floor where the fire broke out, placing more people in the most dangerous areas of the building.

Time and investigation will hopefully provide us with answers. However, the question that raises the biggest and most pressing concern is that of the flammable cladding and how it came to be installed on a relatively modern building.

How Did This Risky Cladding End Up on the Building?

There has been some confusion in media reports as to the type of cladding used.

In 2006, there was a major update to Spanish building regulations. These regulations forbid the use of the type of cladding alleged to have been used in the construction of the building.

Yet, the tower in Valencia, despite being completed in 2008, had planning permission granted in 2005 and as such was not subject to these updated rules.

I have read reports that the cladding used on the building was a specific product called "Alucobond," a supposedly fire-resistant cladding. This appears to be false information.

The company that produces Alucobond has clarified in a statement that their products were not used in the building.

It is important that this is clarified, as Alucobond is a product that is still in use and meets today's building standards.

If it was responsible for the spread of the fire and is still in use, then the problem would be far more widespread than currently believed.

The apparently false implication that that flammable materials are still in use under today's standards will do nothing but creat further stress and confusion.

The ambiguity, I believe, might stem from the developers' pre-sale specifications (Memoria de Calidades), possibly allowing for "Alucobond panels or similar."

It is quite common to see the use of the words "or similar" in building specifications as it gives the builder some flexibility to change materials for something of an equivalent standard and doesn't leave them bound to a particular supplier.

So long as the material that it was replaced with met the safety requirements at the time that building permissions were granted, the builder would likely have been able to use it without consequence.

Again, we will have to wait for the results of the investigation. However, I personally think it was very unlikely that the panels used meet today's standards.

It is also unlikely that the material has been used in any buildings that were granted permission after 2006.

What Will Happen to Older Buildings That Are Clad in Dangerous Materials?

Until the results of the investigation, we simply do not know. It seems unlikely that the cladding used in the building that caught fire in Valencia meets contemporary building regulations. However, if it does, regulations will have to be updated, and the problem will likely affect many more buildings than if it doesn't. As I say, however, I think this is unlikely.

The real challenge lies in identifying buildings, dating from before the 2006 regulation, that are at risk and then taking steps to ensure their safety.

The cost and responsibility for covering the cost will also have to be established. Given the age of the buildings and assuming that they were built to the standards applicable at the time, there will be no comeback on the developers. Even if the developers were forced to take responsibility, in the case of the Valencia fire, the developer was declared bankrupt, and the company dissolved during the financial crisis. Considering how many developers went bankrupt at that time, this is likely to be the case for many other buildings.

The cost of identifying and replacing dangerous cladding is likely to fall on the homeowners themselves unless there is government intervention.

How Will This Affect Overseas Buyers?

If you are looking at property buying, my experience tells me that this type of problematic cladding will have been used very rarely in buildings aimed at the international market. It is a material that was mainly used in inner-city apartment and office blocks, not on small blocks of apartments and houses.

Nonetheless, prospective buyers should exercise due diligence if there is any cladding used on a building they are thinking of investing in, particularly with buildings planned or constructed around the pivotal year of 2006.

For Homeowners:

For those already owning cladded properties, determining the material's safety is crucial.

The community of residents, or 'Comunidad de Vecinos,' should be your starting point for collective concerns, as the issue affects not just individual apartments but the entire building and its collective assets.

Remember, simply referring to the builders' "Memoria de Calidades" is not a guarantee of the actual materials used in construction.

Every building erected in Spain after 2000 must have a "Libro del Edificio" (Book of the Building), a comprehensive record that, amongst other details of the building specification, includes reports on the materials used in construction.

Copies are held by the local authority, local college of Architects (typically for 10 years), and also should be kept by the "Administrador de Fincas" who manage the building on behalf of the community of residents.

If the Libro del Edificio is not available or is not clear, a professional survey, coordinated by the building's administrator, may be necessary.

Concluding Thoughts

The horrors that we witnessed last weekend in Valencia have shone a light on a potentially huge problem facing many apartment blocks in Spain, and the government has promised a full investigation.

As awful as this tragedy is, it does provide an opportunity to identify and rectify any potential issues, hopefully ensuring that such a disaster never happens again.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy, and we must learn from it to prevent a repeat.

I will be keeping my eyes on the news and updating you if and when there is any significant news that may affect homeowners.