A fire on Maestro Serrano Street in Collado Villalba has reignited community alarm. Residents have been reporting for years that the property is a hub of illegal occupation, fights, and drug dealing, with no action taken.
A fire that broke out yesterday Sunday in a premises on Maestro Serrano Street in Collado Villalba has once again highlighted the institutional neglect that residents of the area have been complaining about. The fire, which required the deployment of firefighting services and Civil Protection, did not cause any injuries, but it did produce a thick smoke that led to recommendations for residents to avoid the area. However, what worries residents most is not the fire itself, but what it represents: a property they describe as a constant source of conflict.
An uncontrolled premises: occupation, drugs, and fights
Residents of the affected block assert that the premises has been a problem for years. According to their accounts to this newspaper, people are living there illegally, fights occur, and there is a constant consumption and trafficking of drugs. "We have been demanding action from the community administrator regarding the situation of that premises for years. There are people living there illegally, fights happen, there is drug use and trafficking, and the owner seems completely unconcerned, merely allowing more people into the property," explained one resident.
The sense of impunity is total. Residents report that despite numerous complaints filed with the Collado Villalba Town Hall and the Local Police, no action has been taken. "It feels like when there are people with influence or 'connections', everything goes unpunished, even if it affects the safety and quality of life of the other residents," adds the same citizen. The legal uncertainty over whether the premises is legally authorised as a residence is another complaint: "We still don’t know if that premises is legally authorised as a residence," she laments.
Constant fear and a neighbourhood that can’t take it anymore
The fire has been the last straw. Residents claim they live with constant fear and knew that "sooner or later, a tragedy was going to happen." "We can’t take it anymore; we live with constant fear and knew that sooner or later, a tragedy was going to happen," declared a resident of the block to SER Madrid Sierra. The situation has also become unsustainable in public spaces: "You always pass by and there are people living poorly without shirts, smoking, using drugs, and drinking, who sometimes block the way completely," denounces another neighbour.
For residents, the fire is not an isolated incident but the result of years of neglect. "We have been demanding action from the community administrator regarding the situation of that premises for years," they insist. The question they are now asking is: how much longer will they have to endure this situation? Meanwhile, the neighbourhood continues to live with the uncertainty that a tragedy could happen any day. For now, yesterday's fire has not left any injuries, but it has made it clear that the patience of the residents of Collado Villalba has its limits.
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