News
A series of fires destroys 14 cars near the Sagrada Família and alarms the neighbourhood
The early hours were especially tense around the Sagrada Familia. Several almost simultaneous fires left fourteen cars, a motorbike and a rubbish container completely burned out on different streets in the neighbourhood, creating scenes rarely seen even in an area used to the constant activity of the Eixample.
It all happened around 4:30 in the morning. Some residents began to hear explosions and saw flames coming from parked vehicles at different spots very close to each other. Within minutes, several streets were lit up by the fire as the Bombers tried to stop the flames from spreading to more parked cars.
The outbreaks appeared in areas such as Còrsega with Sardenya, Sicília, Lepant or Indústria, a relatively small radius that is now the focus of the police investigation. The simultaneity of the fires and the distance between some of the points lead investigators to believe the fires may have been started deliberately.
Although there were no injuries, the scene on Wednesday was still striking. Some vehicles were reduced to completely blackened metal frames and several streets were cordoned off in the morning, with shards of glass, burnt plastic and a strong smell of smoke still lingering in the air.
The Mossos d’Esquadra have not ruled out the involvement of an arsonist, although no arrests have been made so far. Security cameras in the area are also being checked, as well as possible witness statements from neighbours who may have seen suspicious activity during the night.
The incident has caused considerable unease among local residents, especially because many of the fires broke out in narrow, densely populated streets where the flames could have had much more serious consequences if they had reached building façades or businesses.
The Sagrada Familia area is a mix of residential life, tourism and constant activity at almost any hour of the day. That combination means incidents like this have an immediate impact on the neighbourhood’s sense of security, especially when they happen at night and in such a coordinated way.
In a city where there is growing debate about coexistence, safety and urban pressure in certain neighbourhoods, images like those from last night leave an uncomfortable feeling: destroyed cars, residents waking up to sirens, and several streets in the Eixample turned for hours into an almost unreal scene.