Six people died last night after fire broke out at a residential home for the elderly in the Nervión district of Sevilla with a further ten people suffering injuries.
Fire broke out on the third floor of the Aurora residence in calle Marqués just before midnight last night. Some residents reported hearing a small explosion just before the fire, giving credence to the theory that the blaze was caused by an electrical short circuit.
There were 22 people in the building at the time of the fire, including two monitors. Firefighters were on the scene within four minutes of receiving the call and immediately began evacuating the residents.
Of the six people who died, one was found in the room where the fire started, one died at the Hospital Virgen del Rocio and the rest died in the building as a result, it is thought, of smoke inhalation. Two Local Police officers also suffered mild injuries as a result of smoke inhalation.
Six of the injured were transferred to the Hospital Macarena for treatment. Five were subsequently discharged but one person remains in the hospital and in a very serious condition.