At least 10 dead in fire in Spanish nursing home
Several elderly residents were also injured in the blaze, with two of them reported to be in critical condition
At least 10 people have died and several others have been injured, two of them critically, in a fire at the Jardines de Villafranca nursing home in Villafranca de Ebro, a town in Zaragoza located 20 minutes from the provincial capital, according to the Spanish government delegation in the region of Aragón.
Firefighters from Zaragoza responded to the emergency around 5 a.m., arriving at the single-story facility on Alfonso Bes Labuerta Street, where they successfully extinguished the flames. Initial reports indicated that 82 residents were at the nursing home at the time of the fire, but the latest figures have revised that number to 69. The mayor of the municipality, Volga Rodríguez, confirmed that the fire originated from a mattress, although the cause is still under investigation.
Fernando Beltrán, the central government’s delegate to Aragón, expressed his condolences and traveled to the municipality to monitor the condition of the injured and the support provided to the affected residents.
“A judicial investigation has been opened to determine the causes of the fire. In addition to the Zaragoza judicial police, the Civil Guard’s infrastructure technical team from Logroño will also be deployed to examine the origin and spread of the fire,” Beltrán told reporters, calling the situation “devastating.”
According to Beltrán, no workers were affected by the fire, which broke out “in one of the rooms of the residence.” He also noted that while it’s still too early to confirm the exact cause of the deaths, in such cases they are typically due to smoke inhalation.
Once the flames were extinguished, authorities awaited judicial authorization to remove the bodies, while efforts to support the affected families were being organized.
“A municipal unit will be established to provide families with the necessary information and psychosocial support,” explained Beltrán, who added that authorities are also considering relocating the residents to another facility so they can receive the care and support they need, as well as visits from their relatives.
Responding to the crisis are the Zaragoza Fire Department, the Civil Guard, Civil Protection Volunteers, psychologists, social workers, and emergency medical personnel, along with staff from the health centers in Alfajarín and Fuentes de Ebro. The Royo Villanova, Miguel Servet, and Clínico Universitario hospitals have been placed on high alert. Additionally, the Minister of the Interior for the Aragón regional government, Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, has traveled to the nursing home, which has been operating since 2008.
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