A 93-year-old man died and 22 others were injured in a fire that broke out late Friday night at a retirement home in the northeastern Spanish city of Zaragoza, authorities confirmed on Saturday.
According to local emergency services, the fire began in a ground-floor room of the facility and quickly filled parts of the building with thick smoke.
The man who died was one of two residents of the room and was reportedly unable to escape due to a disability, Zaragoza Mayor Natalia Chueca said while visiting the site.
“Two men lived in the room, including the one who died, who was disabled and was therefore not able to get out,” Mayor Chueca told reporters.
Among the 22 injured was a 46-year-old man who lived nearby and joined the rescue effort. All victims were hospitalized with varying degrees of smoke inhalation.
The tragedy was met with a strong response from local residents, who rushed to assist firefighters in rescuing trapped residents.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as they broke windows with whatever tools they could find to free those inside.
“We saw smoke and decided to intervene. We broke the windows with a hammer, an axe, chairs from the bars—anything we could get our hands on,” local resident Jesús Vadorrey told regional broadcaster Aragón TV.
“It was very agonizing because the glass is very thick and people were already suffocating inside.”
Jorge Azcón, head of the regional government of Aragón, praised the quick-thinking actions of bystanders.
“Without them, we would probably be mourning even greater losses than we are today,” he said.
Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
The home’s director suggested the blaze may have been triggered by an overheating battery charger for an electric wheelchair.
Emergency officials are continuing to assess the damage and ensure the safety of the facility’s remaining residents.
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