Firefighters battled in one room for two hours as the local mayor cited smoke inhalation as the cause of death.
A fire that broke out in a care home for children in the northeastern region of Aragon in Spain has killed at least 10 people and left two in critical condition.
Local authorities reported that the fire broke out around 5am (04:00 GMT) on Friday at the Jardines de Villafranca home in the town of Villafranca de Ebro, 28km (18 miles) southeast of the city of Zaragoza.
Firefighters came from Zaragoza to fight the fire, which took two hours to extinguish.
Volga Ramirez, the mayor of Villafranca de Ebro, told the media that inhaling the thick smoke from the fire may have been the cause of the deaths.
The cause of the fire was not yet known, but Ramirez said it was confined to one room with a security door, which prevented the fire from spreading.
Jorge Azcon, head of the regional government of Aragon, told the media that an investigation will be opened to determine its cause.
The priority, he said, was to transfer the remaining uninjured residents to other facilities, including the city of Huesca, 90 kilometers (56 miles) away.
El Pais newspaper said that 82 people have been living in this center which was opened in 2008 as a home for the elderly but who recently received special help for those with mental problems.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social media X that he was “shocked by this tragedy” and expressed his condolences.
The fire came weeks after devastating floods in the eastern region of Valencia, which killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of homes – the worst natural disaster in Spain’s recent history.
Azcon announced on X that all government events in the region of Aragon on Friday have been cancelled.
Source link
