Lorraine Williamson
The worst tragedies often begin in the places nobody thinks about. Not the front door or the living room, but the back stairwell, the locked gate, the storage room repurposed in silence.
That is where five young people (reported locally as ‘five youths’) died on Monday night in Manlleu, a town north of Barcelona, after a fire broke out in a rooftop storage area of a five-storey residential building. The victims were trapped inside and could not escape. The cause remains under investigation.
A fire in a space that should never have carried this risk
Early reports suggest the rooftop room may have been used informally, possibly as a meeting place for young people, and possibly as a makeshift living area. Police sources have said it is not yet clear why the group was there at the time of the fire.
Identification is still ongoing because some of the bodies were badly burned. Reuters and AP both report that the victims were young, and some may have been underage.
What we know about the emergency response
Catalonia’s emergency number 112 received calls at around 9.10 pm, with residents reporting flames on the top level and smoke in the stairwell. By the time firefighters arrived, the building had been evacuated. The blaze was brought under control later that evening.
Four residents were treated for minor smoke inhalation injuries, according to early official updates.
Mourning in Manlleu, and an investigation that may widen
The town hall has declared three days of mourning, with flags flying at half-mast, and has called a minute of silence at 19:00 on 17 February outside the municipal building. Catalan interior minister Núria Parlon travelled to the town, while Catalonia’s president, Salvador Illa, issued condolences to the victims’ families and friends.
Catalonia’s president, Salvador Illa, said he was “shocked” by the deaths, offered condolences to families and friends, and wished those injured a swift recovery. He also thanked emergency services for their response and expressed support for Manlleu’s mayor, Arnau Rovira.
The Mossos d’Esquadra is leading the immediate investigation, focusing on how the fire started and on the conditions inside the rooftop space that prevented escape.
But the case may raise broader questions too: how common these informal “extra rooms” have become, how safety rules are enforced, and whether Spain’s housing pressures are pushing more people into risky, invisible spaces above and behind the homes we see.
A tragedy with an uncomfortable aftertaste
Manlleu is not a big city. That’s part of what makes this hit so hard. When five young lives are lost in a single night, the shock is communal, not abstract.
The coming days will be about facts, accountability, and answers. For now, it is also about something simpler: a town trying to understand how a place meant for storage became a place where nobody could get out.
Sources: Reuters, A P News, Europa Press