10 People Killed in Nursing Home Fire 'Due to Smoke Inhalation,' Say Authorities

Mar. 15, 2025

Ten people have died in a fire at a nursing home in north-eastern Spain.

On Friday, Nov. 15, the head of the regional government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, confirmed that the deaths occurred in the early hours of the morning in the Villafranca de Ebro nursing home.

“In honor of their memory, I have to first declare official mourning in the Autonomous Community of Aragon for one day,” hewrote in Spanish on X(formerly known as Twitter). “The mourning will begin at midnight on November 16 and end at midnight on November 17.”

He added, “Second, during mourning, official flags in public buildings of the Autonomous Community of Aragon will fly at half-mast.”

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Villafranca de Ebro, Zaragoza province, Spain.JAVIER CEBOLLADA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

JAVIER CEBOLLADA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

According to theBBC, local officials said that 82 people were living in the nursing home when the fire broke out at 5 a.m. local time and that two had been taken to the hospital.

Spanish outletDiario Surreported that the town’s mayor, Volga Ramírez Gamiz, confirmed the two were in critical condition.

Per the BBC, the home opened as a retirement home 16 years ago and had since moved towards providing care for people with dementia and mental health problems.

Emergency vehicles at the nursing home in Villafranca de Ebro, Spain.JAVIER CEBOLLADA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“There are people from all walks of life, with many problems. Very young people, because there are people as young as 25 years old. In other words, we are not just talking about older people,” Gamiz told reporters, perThe Local es.

Despite the fire not spreading particularly far, the intensity of the smoke is believed to have caused the fatalities.

“It is due to smoke inhalation,” Ramírez said, perCNN, “not because they were burned.”

“I hope that those who are in serious condition recover as soon as possible,” he added.

source: people.com