According to the mayor of Villafranca de Ebro, Volga Ramirez, the fire started in a bedroom. “We took out everyone who was alive before the firefighters arrived, only the dead remained,” said the councilor, who came to lend a hand with her husband for the evacuations.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the fire started from a mattress. “It was probably caused by someone who smoked in their room,” explained the head of the association managing this residence, Paquita Morata.
When the fire started, the victims “were in their beds, unable to move. They were caught in the smoke”, confirmed Eduardo Sanchez, fire chief of Zaragoza, specifying that the sector where the fire started had a fire door.
Thanks to this door, “half of the building was safe,” he added.
The Jardines de Villafranca residence, a one-story brick building, was opened in 2008, according to its website. For several years, this retirement home has also specialized in welcoming people suffering from mental health problems.
