Large fire ripped through a 20-storey residential skyscraper occupied by about 70 families in Milan.
Gatekeepers News reports that fire broke out on Sunday from the upper floors of the tower and spread to the entire building within minutes.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said: “The firemen are going from apartment to apartment, knocking down doors to make sure no one remains inside.
“But we are optimistic because people had time to get out,” he added.
It was gathered that about 20 residents suffered slight smoke inhalation and dozens of ambulances and fire engines were at the scene.
According to reports, about 30 people who were in the bilding when the fire broke out were safely evacuated.
Gatekeepers News reports that authorities in Milan have commenced an investigation to unravel the cause of the fire.
Carlo Sibia, an Interior Ministry official in Rome, said “the rapid spread of the flames was due to the thermal covering of the building”.
The building, according to authorities, is now at risk of collapse, due to the high temperatures that could have melted the steel columns.
The 60-metre tall building, part of a recent development project, was designed to look like the keel of a ship and included an aluminium sail on its roof, which burned and fell to the street in pieces.
