Skyscraper shaky but standing
2005-02-14 13:18
Ed McCullough
Madrid - The skyscraper in Madrid's business and financial district that was gutted by a weekend fire remained upright but unstable on Monday with a large construction crane still perched on the roof above the building's blackened frame.
"Don't Fall Down," read the front-page headline on the free newspaper Que passed out to morning subway and bus commuters on a day that promised plenty of transport headaches.
Streets around the Windsor Building remained cordoned off for a third day, while service on three Metro lines was curtailed for safety reasons. Many nearby businesses remained shut by government order.
The blaze that started before midnight on Saturday was finally declared under control about 21 hours later. The cause has not been determined, partly because it was too hot for firefighters to enter the 32-storey building, and it's still too risky.
"What worries us now is its structural state because of the high temperatures it was subjected to," Merardo Tudelo, director of the Madrid Municipal Firefighters, told reporters on Sunday evening.
Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon acknowledged the situation "is still critical".
Madrid residents stopped and stared on Monday at the wrecked hulk that was a modern office building only days ago.
"This is the biggest fire ... this city has ever had," Gallardon told reporters and bystanders outside the twisted wreckage at midday on Sunday.
Closure of the area around it - perhaps until Wednesday, Gallardon said - will affect dozens of businesses and several thousand employees.
El Corte Ingles, Spain's signature department store, confirmed it won't open on Monday and told its 2 000 employees to stay home.
Within hours of catching fire at about the 21st floor, several top floors collapsed onto lower ones. "If the partial collapses keep happening, it would be lying to say it's impossible that the whole building couldn't fall down," firefighter official Fernando Munilla said. The building, which is 106m high, is among the 10 tallest in Madrid.
At their peak, temperatures reached 800°C, said Javier Sanz, head of Madrid's firefighters.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero visited the site on Sunday and said, "I wanted to thank all those people who have been working since early in the morning: firefighters, police, and all those who have thrown themselves in to help in this catastrophe."
Construction of the shiny gold Windsor Building began in 1973 and was completed in 1979. It became a landmark structure in Madrid's business district. The building was surrounded with scaffolding due to recent repairs.
- AP