On Thursday evening, firefighters responded to a van fire at the Alcampo supermarket in Sant Adrià de Besòs. This incident marked the second vehicle blaze in the same car park in less than two months.

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Occurring after nightfall on 19 February, the incident prompted a rapid response from several units of the Bombers de la Generalitat, the Catalan fire service. Crews worked quickly, extinguishing the blaze and preventing its spread to adjacent vehicles. According to a report by Metrópoli, the fire produced a large plume of smoke highly visible against the night sky.

The Alcampo supermarket is a well-known fixture in Sant Adrià de Besòs, a municipality bordering Barcelona to the north. It sits in the shadow of the iconic Les Tres Xemeneies (The Three Chimneys), a decommissioned thermal power station dominating the local skyline.

A Worrying Pattern

Notably, this latest fire raises concerns due to its striking similarity to a previous incident on 30 December. During that earlier event, another van caught fire in the very same car park, leading to a much larger conflagration.

Witnesses told Metrópoli that the December fire filled the entire car park with thick black smoke. Flames from the initial vehicle spread to cars parked on either side, reportedly causing a series of small explosions. Fortunately, Thursday’s incident appears to have been contained more swiftly, averting a similar outcome.

Authorities have not yet officially determined the cause of either fire. The repeated nature of these events in the same location may, furthermore, prompt further investigation by local authorities.

Spotlight on Sant Adrià

This incident again draws attention to Sant Adrià de Besòs, a municipality at the centre of significant development and debate. For instance, a massive €100m urban transformation is planned for the area immediately surrounding the Three Chimneys, intended to revitalise the former industrial waterfront.

However, the legacy of its industrial past continues to present challenges. For example, recent findings revealed significant soil contamination with toxic heavy metals in a nearby park, also part of the Three Chimneys complex, raising public health concerns.

The Generalitat de Catalunya‘s fire service, responsible for fire and rescue operations across the region, handled the emergency response. Fortunately, no injuries occurred in Thursday’s fire.

According to the official source, see Nou incendi al pàrquing de l’Alcampo a Sant Adrià de Besòs: crema una furgoneta (Metrópoli).