Four children die after fire rips through their home in Tarragona

Four siblings between the ages of three and 12 died late Tuesday when a fire ripped through their home in Tarragona, police said on Wednesday. At least four others, including the father of the children, were injured in the blaze.

Firefighters said the mother was able to rescue one of her children – a two-year-old baby – while an 18-year-old was also able to escape from the burning apartment, which is located in the Tarragona neighborhood of El Vendrell.

“We don’t want to speculate what the causes were,” said Catalan interior commissioner Ramón Espadaler, who was on the scene Wednesday. “The mother is aware that four of her children have died, and is under psychological care.”

Firefighters were called to the scene at around midnight when the blaze broke out on the top floor of the four-story building.

The bodies of the children – ages three, five, eight and 12 – were recovered at the scene. The 51-year-old father was taken to Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona suffering from 11-percent burns to his body.