A devastating fire at a care home near Zaragoza in northeastern Spain has claimed the lives of at least 10 people, with several others injured. The fire erupted early Friday morning in the town of Villafranca de Ebro, where 82 residents were living at the time of the incident.
The facility, which opened 16 years ago as a retirement home, had transitioned into specializing in care for individuals with dementia and mental health conditions. Emergency services were alerted around 5:00 AM (4:00 GMT), and firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, but not before the tragedy unfolded.
Two individuals were hospitalized, one in critical condition, according to the mayor of Villafranca de Ebro, Volga Ramírez. She suggested that the fire might have started from a mattress in one of the rooms. Witnesses reported minimal damage to the building itself, with the fatalities attributed primarily to smoke inhalation.
The mayor, speaking to the media, shared that her husband had entered the building to help evacuate people, but the smoke made it almost impossible to breathe. The local authorities are continuing to monitor the victims’ recovery and the ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire.
Spanish government officials, including Aragón’s regional delegate Fernando Beltrán and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, expressed their condolences and promised further support as the investigation continues. This tragedy comes just nine years after a similar fire at another care home in the Zaragoza area, which also claimed multiple lives.
BBC NEWS, ARY NEWS, EXPRESS NEWS, DAWN NEWS
