A fire that broke out this morning in the garage of an apartment building in Penela, Coimbra, has destroyed six vehicles and displaced countless people, a Volunteer Fire Service source said.
“In sight, six passenger cars engulfed in flames were destroyed, in addition to structural damage to the building, which we are still assessing,” Vitor Gomes, second commander of the Penela Volunteer Firefighters, told Lusa, adding that there were no injuries.
The same source explained that the fire originated in “a garage located in the basement of an apartment building that has three more residential floors” on Avenida do Brasil.
“There were many more cars parked in the garage. Six that were consumed by the flames, this was before our arrival, then we managed to put out the fire, ”he explained.
Vitor Gomes added that “the origin of the fire is being investigated by the Judicial Police” (PJ), which “was already there but will be back tomorrow.” [domingo] for further investigation.”
“Although the apartments are not all occupied yet, people from the affected part of the house have left their homes, and the city’s civil protection is conducting a survey of people who will need housing,” he said.
It’s because “it’s not safe, at least today [sábado]people remain in their homes until the damage is properly assessed to keep the homes safe,” he said.
According to the Sub-Regional Directorate for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense of the Coimbra region, the alarm was raised at 6:20 am due to a fire in a garage.