Italian prosecutors said Wednesday
they had wound up their investigations and 18 people are facing
possible trial in a fire that destroyed an 18-storey block of
flats in Milan on August 29, 2021.
The legal representatives of the firms that built the Torre del
Moro and installed highly flammable cladding on its facades are
now facing possible indictments, legal sources said.
Two fire officials who issued an anti-fire certification in 2011
are also among those facing indictments.
The investigation, prosecutors said, "overall unveiled worrisome
scenarios and at the same time instructive ones that should
serve as a warning, on violations of the safety norms of
products and evasive practices to get certifications and
standards qualifications, adopted by producers, distributors,
and at certification institutes."
The flammable cladding panels on the Milan tower block had not
been certified, fire fighters have said in a report to the probe
into the incident.
The 18-floor Torre del Moro quickly became a huge torch on
August 29 last year but residents managed to get out in time.
Fire team experts said in their report that the cladding was
supplied by the Spanish Alucoil company to Zambonini, and
Italian company that carried out the installation for builders
Moro Costruzioni, in 2010 "before certification was issued by
the interior ministry".
The skyscraper became a torch in about three minutes, according
to videos posted on social media by former residents.
The Torre dei Moro tower block in Via Antonini caught fire
almost immediately sending incandescent parts of the building
falling to the ground, the videos viewed by prosecutors show.
Experts have said the skyscraper had "security issues" including
flammable cladding while residents, who fortunately all got out
safely, said the fire alarm failed to go off.
The building become a 'torch' due to a 'chimney effect', experts
said.
The 'Torre dli Moro' became a blackened ruin after a fire that
consumed it all day on a Sunday. No one was hurt as the building
was evacuated in time.
The fire started on the 15th floor, perhaps due to a short
circuit, the experts said.
It then spread to the rest of the building due to a chimney
effect in which a current of air raced down between the building
and its cladding panels, turning the tower into a torch, they
said.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala initiated the probe to establish
responsibility for the blaze.
The northern city's fire brigade chief, Giuliano Santagata, said
"I've never seen anything like it in Milan before".
One of the evacuated residents said "we are 70 families without
a home and we'll have to start again from scratch". Officials
said it was lucky no one had been killed.
Only a dog died in the fire.
Among the residents of the tower block was singer-songwriter
Mahmood, who won the Sanremo Song Festival and came second in
the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019.
Veteran singer-songwriter and former X-Factor judge Morgan, who
lives nearby, posted videos on Instagram saying "it was
incredible, we were nearly set alight too".
A 16th floor resident told prosecutors that the cladding "burned
up as if it were cardboard".
Prosecutors said a preliminary examination had revealed
"critical issues" in the block's fire system.
Experts reportedly said the cladding had been made of
"inappropriate" and highly flammable material.
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