Fire and smoke engulfed the top of Madrid’s skyline this afternoon: a small fire in an electrical transformer forced the complete evacuation of the Moeve Tower (formerly the Foster Tower), the second-tallest tower in the country and home, among other things, to Moeve’s offices in the Cuatro Torres complex. The incident triggered all emergency protocols, but, as confirmed by both the company and emergency services, there were no injuries or cases of smoke inhalation, and the evacuation proceeded in an orderly manner.
The incident originated on the 23rd floor of the building, in one of the electrical transformers serving the tower located at 259-A Paseo de la Castellana, in the heart of the Cuatro Torres Business Area. An electrical fault caused a small fire in this equipment, generating a significant amount of smoke that began to seep into some areas of the building, prompting the immediate activation of the alarms and evacuation protocols.
Several units from the Madrid Fire Department and emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene; they gained access to the basement, extinguished the fire, and ventilated the building to clear the accumulated smoke. The fire was brought under control without affecting other floors or causing structural damage, but it did necessitate a preventive power outage.
Complete evacuation with no injuries
As a safety measure, orders were given to evacuate not only Moeve’s offices but the entire tower as well ; initially, the rest of the buildings at Castellana 259 were also evacuated as a precaution, bringing thousands of workers out onto the street. The evacuation took place mid-morning and, according to emergency services, proceeded calmly and in an orderly fashion, guided by the skyscraper’s internal security teams.
Firefighters had to rescue several people who were trapped in elevators when the power went out, although all were unharmed. Emergencias Madrid and Moeve itself have confirmed that there were no personal injuries: no one was hurt, no one suffered from smoke inhalation, and no one was taken to the hospital.
Statement from Moeve and Current Situation
In a statement released via its social media channels, Moeve explained that it decided to evacuate its offices in the Moeve Tower “as a precautionary measure” following the power failure and a small fire in the building’s transformer, along with the rest of the tenants. The company stated that it has sent its employees home and is working with the building’s management to restore the facilities and resume operations “as soon as possible,” emphasizing that the safety of people is the top priority at all times.
At this time, the evacuated staff are waiting for technicians to thoroughly inspect the affected area, restore power, and ensure that the building is safe for a gradual return to normal operations. Firefighters and maintenance crews continue to inspect the technical room and electrical systems to rule out further damage and prevent the fire from reigniting.
