---
title: "Fire kills at least ten elderly people in Spanish retirement home"
description: "MADRID, Nov 15 (Reuters) - At least 10 elderly people were killed when fire ripped through a retirement home in the northern Spanish town of Villafranca del Ebro early on Friday, authorities said."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Jardines de Villafranca"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-15-fire-kills-at-least-ten-elderly-people-in-spanish-retirement-home/"
published: "2024-11-15T12:42:57"
updated: "2024-11-15T12:42:59"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 144
---

# Fire kills at least ten elderly people in Spanish retirement home

> MADRID, Nov 15 (Reuters) - At least 10 elderly people were killed when fire ripped through a retirement home in the northern Spanish town of Villafranca del Ebro early on Friday, authorities said.

By Reuters · Published 15 November 2024, 14:42 SAST · Updated 15 November 2024, 14:42 SAST

## Key points
- In a tragic twist of fate, a pre-dawn blaze at the Jardines de Villafranca residence claimed the lives of several elderly residents, leaving firefighters scrambling from Zaragoza while the cause of the inferno remains a mystery.
- A fire broke out early morning in a room at the "Jardines de Villafranca" residence, claiming the lives of several elderly residents.
- The blaze began around 5 a.m. and took firefighters approximately two hours to extinguish.
- Two individuals are in critical condition, with many others treated for smoke inhalation, according to local officials.
- Firefighters from Zaragoza responded to the incident, while the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

## Content

The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government's top official in the region, told reporters.

All the victims were elderly people living in the "Jardines de Villafranca" residence, he added.

The fire started at around 5 a.m. (0400 GMT) and it took around two hours for firefighters to put it out, a spokesperson for the regional government said.

Two people were in a critical condition and several were being treated, mainly for smoke inhalation, mayor Volga Ramirez, said. Ramirez said her husband helped evacuate the elderly.

Firefighters - who came from around Zaragoza, a city 35 km (22 miles) away -were at the scene with ambulances and police, the regional government spokespersonsaid. The cause of the fire was still being investigated.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrew Heavens)