At least 10 people have died and others injured in a fire at a care home near Zaragoza in north-eastern Spain, according to emergency services. The fire broke out in Villafranca de Ebro early Friday morning, and local officials said 82 people were in the home.
According to local reports, the center opened 16 years ago as a retirement home, but in recent times, it has specialized in care for residents with dementia and mental health problems.
Emergency services were alerted at about 05:00 (04:00 GMT) on Friday, and firefighters extinguished the fire. The ages of those who died are not yet known.
The mayor of Villafranca de Ebro told Spanish radio that two others were hospitalized, one in critical condition. Volga Ramírez told Cadena Ser a mattress on fire may have caused the tragedy in one of the rooms.
Witnesses said there was minor fire damage to the single-story building, and smoke inhalation is being blamed for a large number of fatalities.
“My husband went in to get people out. You couldn’t even breathe because of the smoke,” the mayor related to reporters.
The Spanish government’s delegate in the Aragón region, Fernando Beltrán, condoled with the victims and said they would continue to monitor their progress in the hospital and the investigation into the cause of the fire.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez showed his dismay and surprise at what happened. In another facility in the region of Zaragoza, nine people died in an identical fatal fire nine years ago.
