A fire has damaged Torre Gran, a protected historic farmhouse in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, on Tuesday afternoon. The building is listed as a Local Cultural Interest Asset (BCIL) and has been abandoned for years.

Emergency services were alerted at 16:00 after a large smoke plume became visible from nearby roads. Eleven fire engines from the Generalitat Fire Service worked to put out the blaze, and the operation continued until just before 20:00. Firefighters stopped the fire spreading beyond the building and an adjacent vegetated area, and the Guàrdia Urbana also helped at the scene.

No injuries were reported. A horse was found in the area and Rural Agents had to step in. Sources also said that homeless people sometimes stay at Torre Gran, and one person was sheltering there when the fire broke out. Shacks were also present nearby.

Firefighters saw the roof collapse, and part of it had already fallen in a windstorm in February, according to Televisió de L'Hospitalet. The latest fire appears to have added to the damage already done to the structure.

Torre Gran has been deteriorating for a long time, despite complaints from groups calling for better protection of historic heritage in Catalonia's second-largest city. The Agència Catalana de l'Aigua owns the property. It is also part of the Biopol-Granvia urban plan, which includes burying the Granvia.

The farmhouse stands near the land Barcelona annexed during the creation of the Zona Franca. L'Hospitalet's special heritage plan, Peppa, confirms this. Its land registry record dates from 1843, although historian Manuel Domínguez says the building may be more than 300 years old and may have started as a religious, and possibly academic, structure. Its layout is unusual for a farmhouse in the Marina area, with a 30-metre main facade and several side annexes.

Officials plan to rehabilitate Torre Gran once the Biopol-Granvia urban plan is fully carried out. For now, the fire has added more pressure to protect and restore the building. Community

Originally published by La Vanguardia Catalonia. Read original article.