In Guillena, a town of just over ten thousand inhabitants Sevillenothing will be the same again since this Sunday a tragic fire claimed the life of four members of the same family: a married couple and their two children. The victims, José Antonio Rendón, 52 years old; his wife, Antonia Hidalgo, 48 years old; and his sons José Antonio, 21, and Adrián, 16, died in their home when flames consumed the house in a few minutes.
As you may have known SPANISHit all started early in the morning, when neighbors on Calle Fernando Martín, where the family home was located, began to notice a strong smell smoke. The first calls for help 112 Andalusia They were received at 8.05am with warnings that several people were trapped inside a semi-detached house on fire. According to testimonies, dense black smoke escaping from the house warned to the whole neighborhoodsome of whom tried, unsuccessfully, to help the family before help arrived.
less than half an hour
In fairness 17 minutes, As the mayor of Guillena explained to the media, Lorenzo Medina MoyaThree fire crews arrived at the scene from the neighboring municipalities of Santiponce and El Ronquillo. Alongside the firefighters, the 061 rescue teams, members of the Civil Guard and of Local policewho tried to gain access to the house. However, despite the rapid intervention of rescue teams, the intensity of the fire and the speed with which the flames spread prevented the family from fleeing.
Firefighters found the lifeless body of the four family members at the back of the house, suggesting that they tried to escape via the terrace to reach the roof. However, the flames and black smoke had spread so quickly and densely that they had no time to escape. “There are no words… it’s a sad day for the whole city, a tragedy”» declared Medina Moya, visibly dismayed by the scale of the disaster. “It’s a situation that has left the entire city depressed and without answers,” he added.
A group of neighbors gather in front of the house where the four family members died.
The two-story house was completely burnt down and the firefighters, after extinguishing the fire and carrying out the cooling work, carried out a second thorough inspection to try to determine the origin of the fire. For now, the causes remain a mysteryand the authorities opened an investigation to clarify the cause of the fire. Although it is speculated that the fire could have started on the ground floor, this has not yet been officially confirmed.
The family Rendon Hidalgo was known and loved in Guillena. José-Antonio And Anthony They worked in Mercasevilla, the central food market of Seville, in the food sector. distribution of fruits. They owned a fruit store in the nearby town of El Ronquillo, where they were both very popular. Your children, José-Antonio And Adrienthey studied in the town and were part of local sports teams, being well known among the young people of the town.
Three days of mourning
He Guillena City Council declared three days of official mourning as a sign of respect and solidarity with the family and in recognition of the pain that overwhelms the entire community. Flags will be at half-mast in all municipal buildings and festive events planned for the coming days have been suspended. “Any unexpected death is dramatic, but this time it is even more so because it concerns young people and because of the circumstances of the event”indicated Mayor Medina in the decree which formalized the mourning.
Image of the house where the four members of the family died.
This fire has become one of the most serious events to occur in Spain so far this year. This is the second in terms of deaths, after the fire on February 22 in a 14-story building in the Valencian neighborhood of Campanar, where ten people died and a dozen were injured. Furthermore, this tragic event joins the list of the deadliest fires recorded in the province of Seville in the last two decades.
THE Civil Guard An investigation has been opened to elucidate the causes of the fire, which remains a mystery. Meanwhile, Guillena mourns the loss of a beloved family, in a tragedy that will forever mark the history of this small Sevillian town.
