MADRID (AP) – A fire at a nursing home near Zaragoza in northeastern Spain killed at least 10 people and injured several others before firefighters could extinguish it, local authorities said Friday.
The warning occurred just before 5 a.m. Friday in Villafranca de Ebro, about 28 kilometers from Zaragoza. Two people remain in critical condition, officials said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
According to local media, there are 82 residents at the Jardines de Villafranca nursing home, which focuses on treating people with dementia and other mental health problems.
Jorge Ascón, head of the government of Aragon state, which includes Villafranca de Ebro with a population of 840, told reporters outside the nursing home that an investigation would be launched into the cause of the fire.
He said the immediate priority was to transfer the remaining uninjured residents to other facilities, including one in the city of Huesca, about 90 kilometers away.
Villafranca de Ebro Mayor Volga Ramírez told reporters that heavy smoke from the fire was likely the cause of the deaths.
“It was caused by smoke inhalation, not burns,” Ramirez said. She said the remaining residents of the center were safely evacuated.
Zaragoza Fire Chief Eduardo Sanchez told reporters that firefighters had extinguished the fire, which started in a room at the centre. A fire door prevented the fire from spreading to the other half of the building.
Azcon announced on X (formerly Twitter) that all government events in Aragon have been canceled for the day.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that he was “shocked by the tragedy” and expressed his condolences to the victims.
The fire comes just weeks after devastating flash floods in Spain's Valencia region killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of homes. This flood was the worst natural disaster in Spain's recent history.
