Windsor fire aftermath causes chaos in Madrid.

The center of Madrid is in chaos this morning and over a third of the activity which usually takes place in the financial and commercial center of Spain’s capital city has been suspended. Madrid’s mayor has told reporters that demolition of the skyscraper is almost certainly inevitable although the final decision will be made after experts have inspected the building in the next 24-48 hours.

The whole area surrounding the Windsor building has been cordoned off, and will remain so until the it has been demolished, because of the continued risk that the remains of the building may suddenly collapse. Over 600.000 people are affected by the aftermath of the fire as all surrounding roads, shops and offices have been sealed off and commercial and financial activity has effectively come to a halt. Madrid’s council leaders have asked residents to show patience and solidarity over the next couple of days.

To make things worse, today much of Spain is experiencing strong gale-foce winds, and firemen still at the scene of the fire have warned that large pieces of the burned building have already been blown off.

This morning several Spanish newspapers mention the possibility that the fire may have spread so quickly due to negligence of the security guards. If this turns out to be the case, events such as this and the ETA car bomb in Madrid last week will not do much to enhance Madrid’s chances of becoming the successful candidate to host the 2012 Olympic Games.