The fire that swept through a residential complex in the Campanar neighborhood in the city of Valencia on February 22, killing ten people. “Single and main” concentration in the refrigeratorAccording to the scientific police report. This report indicates that there is a refrigerator in the kitchen of apartment No. 86 on the eighth floor of the building, on Carrer Poeta Rafael Alberti Street, It could have started a fire that spread to the rest of the building.
This is one of the main conclusions of the police technical inspection report aimed at clarifying the causes of the fire. The document, according to Levante newspaper submittedHe points out that “everything seems to indicate that an accident may have occurred in the area behind the refrigerator.” Researchers did Detailed inspection of wires and connections that are not destroyed“Undetected, apparently no sign of a short circuit or malfunction.”
However, the report warns that “one cannot be conclusive when ruling out an electrical origin for this event, due to the high degree of devastation in the area, and the technical precision of researchers cannot reliably determine the source of ignition.” In addition, it was determined that the fire was accidental.
Initially, the main hypotheses suggested that the fire could have originated from it Short circuit in the canopyAlthough investigations indicated days later that the fire has started In a device In the kitchen of a house.
Leaks in the air ducts
Among the hypotheses referred to in the report about the cause of the fire, the scientific police indicate that the series of refrigerators to which the analyzed device belongs operates with… The refrigerant known as isobutanewhose “main drawback” is considered flammability:
“We are working on the hypothesis that a small leak in the channels of the refrigerant tubes causes it to escape into the atmosphere, and that any spark or even static electricity from the device causes ignition. This would explain the type of damage caused to the condenser, as the channels are observed to disappear as a result of the high temperature , with the affected material dripping.”
In the report, which runs nearly a hundred pages, the scientific police analyze the damage to the damaged buildings from the outside and inside – there were more than 130 houses in the building – and focus on number 86, which is considered to be the place where the fire started.
The kitchen is the area where the fire startedSo it was selectively demolished. According to the homeowner’s statements last March, no repairs or changes were made to the distribution of the fixed furniture of the original house.
In the kitchen study, it was ruled out that there were combustion accelerators at the start of the fire. Once Home appliances analyzed one by oneWe conclude that the oven is more affected on the right and front side; Washing machine in front; Electric thermos in the foreground; The dishwasher is most affected on the left side, and finally, the counter is most affected on the front side. This means that everything points toward the area where the refrigerator was located, which investigators refer to as the epicenter of the fire.
A close examination of the refrigerator reveals this The back part has disappeared from the traces of the fire. At this back is the condenser – a very thin tube curved into a serpentine shape – where the heat of the refrigerant is exchanged with the environment. After examining the damaged bars, experts conclude that the presence of high temperature is the cause of the damage. To confirm the condenser hypothesis, several kitchens in this building were examined without similar damage.
In conclusion, the police consider this The fire started in the back of the refrigerator It was moved to the rest of the appliances and furniture in the kitchen according to signs of the fire. From there, the fire spread to the rest of the house.
On the other hand, the report shows that the development of the fire was favorable Strong winds blowing From the west that was blowing at that time. In addition, in this area of town other buildings provide little protection from the wind.
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