The courage and love of the people of Villafranca de Ebro (Zaragoza) towards the residents of a retirement home where a fire broke out, the causes of which are still unknown, saved them from a greater tragedy.
This is the story of the special residence for elderly people and people with dementia and mental problems, in Villafranca de Ebro, which, at dawn this Friday, suffered a tragic fire, which unfortunately left ten dead , but which could have had an even greater impact. An even more terrible outcome, if we had not counted on the courageous dedication of the two workers who were on duty during the night. Together with local residents, they saved the lives of many people admitted to the residence.
A work that was appreciated by the President of the Government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, who praised “the extraordinary work of these two workers”, since it must be taken into account that in these early hours of the morning the 69 residents They were asleep and the evacuation was very difficult given that the detainees (aged 25 to 90) suffer from mental problems and some of them have serious mobility difficulties.
Likewise, the president wanted to show “caution” to society in the face of possible speculation about the causes of the fire that broke out in the retirement home in the early hours of this Friday.
The causes of the fire in the residence
According to the latest information, the fire broke out around 5 a.m. this Friday in one of the rooms of the residence, when the alert was given to the 112 emergency services. That’s when the workers noticed the fire when they arrived. began evacuating residents with the help of residents of Villafranca de Ebro.
The speed of the evacuation work of these two women and the neighbors was essential so that the Zaragoza City Hall firefighters, when they arrived, found the majority of residents sheltered from the large cloud of smoke, both outside the facilities and in the residence hall.
Alongside the firefighters, Civil Guard volunteers, Civil Protection volunteers, psychologists, social workers and doctors from 061 traveled, as well as medical staff from the health centers in the towns of Alfajarín and Fuentes del Ebro.
Unfortunately, ten of the residents could not be saved and died, while two residents are in very serious condition and were transferred to Royo Villanova Hospital. There is a 65-year-old man in intensive care with a serious prognosis, and another 72-year-old man who remains under observation in the emergency room and is stable.
The rest of those treated were for smoke inhalation and of a mild nature, and remained in a safe observation area in the town of Villafranca de Ebro, where professionals from the health centers of Alfajarín and Fuentes de were transferred. Ebro. In this case, it is a civil guard who also required medical attention for smoke inhalation, with a mild prognosis.
Key workers and neighbors
Among those who helped evacuate the elderly and other residents was the city’s mayor, Volga Ramírez. Ramírez, due to lung problems, remained outside the facilities responsible for resettling the evacuees, while her husband participated in the evacuation work.
The mayor told the media that the deaths were caused by inhalation of the thick cloud of smoke and not by the flames of the fire. Information confirmed by the fire chief of Zaragoza town hall, who announced that the fire had broken out in one of the rooms of the residence.
Fortunately, the fire, caused by causes still unknown, did not spread to the rest of the building, thanks to the fire door in the room. However, smoke spread through the remainder of one of the retirement home’s wings, virtually saturating the entire facility.
Moving to Huesca
The center, which has a capacity of 72 places, had 70 occupied, although at the time of the event there were 69 people staying in the building.
The evicted residents, evacuated to the municipal pavilion, are already being transferred to the Vitalia residence in Huesca, where the director of the Aragonese Institute of Social Services, Ángel Vals, has moved to welcome them upon their arrival . This residence is new and has not yet been inaugurated.
The Government of Aragon has made available a telephone number for family members: 976715980.
Mourning for the house fire
The Aragon community is shocked by what happened and authorities and other figures have expressed many expressions of affection and condolences to family and friends.
Shocked by the tragic fire at the Villafranca de Ebro retirement home which claimed the lives of ten people.
We are suspending the entire agenda as a sign of mourning.
My most sincere condolences to the families of the deceased.– Jorge Azcón (@Jorge_Azcon) November 15, 2024
The Aragonese president, Jorge Azcón, has decreed an official mourning for next Saturday in honor of the memory of those who died in the Villafranca de Ebro retirement home due to the fire. During mourning, official flags of community buildings will fly at half-mast outside and with a crepe at the top of the inside flagpole.
