La Querola: €130 million development built over 14 years devastated by fire three months after its unveiling
The fire in Ordino has severely damaged six of the seven buildings in a luxury complex that represented a total investment of €130 million
The fire that severely damaged La Querola in Ordino overnight has struck one of the most distinctive and expensive residential developments built in Andorra in recent years.
The complex represented an investment of around €130 million, had taken 14 years to build and was publicly unveiled just three months ago following a lengthy development process.
The blaze broke out at around 1.45 a.m. in one of the blocks and spread rapidly through much of the residential complex.
Continuen les tasques d’extinció a la Querola amb catorze dotacions de Bombers @BombersAndorra pic.twitter.com/xcd4NRKX8l
— La Veu Lliure (@laveulliure) September 22, 2026
Initial estimates indicate that the fire has affected approximately 22,000 square metres, including around 10,000 square metres of residential space and 12,000 square metres of parking facilities.
Ordino’s deputy mayor, Eduard Betriu, said that six of the seven buildings have been badly damaged. There is currently no official assessment of the financial losses.
The €130 million figure represents the total investment in the project, not the value of the damage caused by the fire.
La Querola was unveiled just three months ago
The fire comes at a particularly significant moment for the development. On 5 June, those behind La Querola opened its doors to publicly present the result of almost two decades of development and fourteen years of construction.
The event was intended to mark the near-completion of a project that had overcome numerous obstacles, including economic crises, construction difficulties, environmental constraints, the pandemic and rising material costs.
The development comprises seven buildings and around fifty luxury homes, ranging in size from approximately 300 to 700 square metres. The complex has a total built floor area of around 34,000 square metres.
Designed as a major architectural project integrated into the mountainside, it was principally conceived by architects Jean Nouvel, Josep Ribas and Jordi Sala.
Luxury homes priced at up to €6.3 million
Total investment in La Querola had reached €130 million. At the presentation in June, developer Xavier Santamaria said that building a comparable complex today could cost as much as €200 million.
The homes were marketed at approximately €2.4 million to €6.3 million each, with prices ranging from €8,000 to €9,000 per square metre.
At the time of the unveiling, approximately half of the homes had already been sold.
However, residential occupation had not yet begun. Construction was in its final stages and no residents had moved in, meaning the complex’s future occupants were not exposed to the fire.
A project almost two decades in the making
La Querola’s history stretches back nearly twenty years. Several years of planning preceded construction, which then continued for fourteen years.
The architectural complexity, use of specific materials and ambition to integrate the buildings into the landscape made the development particularly time-consuming and expensive.
Materials including slate, wood and stone were chosen to strengthen the complex’s connection with its surroundings. During the June presentation, architect Josep Ribas described La Querola as a “sculpture with a function”, while the development had also been marketed as an “inhabited sculpture”.
Firefighters work to protect the nearby forest
The scene at La Querola changed dramatically on Tuesday. According to ANA, a major firefighting operation worked throughout the early hours to bring the flames under control, involving 34 firefighters and 14 fire crews, including two from La Seu d’Urgell.
Once much of the spread within the complex had been halted, one of the emergency teams’ main priorities was preventing the fire from reaching the nearby forest.
Work continues to extinguish any remaining pockets of fire and ensure the safety of the entire area.
Investigators will establish the cause and assess the damage
Once the situation is under control, the next phase will focus on establishing how the fire started and assessing the full extent of the damage.
There is still no official estimate of the financial losses. What is known is the scale of the investment behind the project: €130 million, fourteen years of construction and almost two decades from its initial development to near-completion.
The fire struck La Querola just three months after its public unveiling, as the complex was preparing to welcome its first residents.
Alguna cosa olora malament i no es el fum