A major fire has destroyed a block of flats in the Spanish coastal city of Valencia, the emergency services said on Thursday.
The fire broke out in a flat on the fourth floor and spread rapidly through the tower block, first responders said.
Two people are trapped in the building, according to someone living in a building nearby. He said he saw them on a balcony, calling for help, during a telephone interview with state television channel RTVE.
At least seven people, including a firefighter, were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation or burns, La Vanguardia newspaper reported.
The authorities ordered a field hospital to be set up as a precautionary measure, La Vanguardia newspaper reported.
Soldiers from the military emergency aid unit UME have also been called to help fight the fire, RTVE reported. The UME is usually deployed to fight major forest fires.
There are 138 appartments in the tower block. Images shared on social media showed how flames climbed the façade of the relatively new building which was ablaze from the ground floor to the roof.
The façade appeared to be made of highly flammable material and parts of it fell into the building which continued to burn.
The emergency services deployed 16 fire engines to the scene.
A huge cloud of black smoke rose above the building and the fire was fanned by powerful winds.
