A fire at a nursing home in Spain has killed at least 10 people

At least 10 people died as a result of a fire in a nursing home in the north of the country Spanish city Villafranca de Ebro early Friday, authorities said.

The fire started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltrán, a senior official of the national government of the Aragon region, told reporters.

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All the victims were elderly people living in the Jardines de Villafranca residence, a home for people with mental health problemsThe regional president of Aragon, Jorge Ascon, told journalists about this.

One person was in critical condition and the other was in serious condition, Azkon said.

Members of the forensic unit of the Spanish Civil Guard work at a nursing home that caught fire early Friday, killing several people, according to the regional government of Aragon, in Villafranca de Ebro, Spain, on Friday. (Reuters/Pablo Ibanez)

The fire started around 5 am local time and lasted for about two hours for firefighters to extinguish it, said the spokesman of the regional state administration.

Fire chief Eduardo Sanchez told reporters that the fire was contained to the room where it started and that the victims were due to smoke inhalation.

“The doors were closed, they did not allow the fire to spread. The tragedy could have been worse,” Azkon said after visiting the building.

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Several residents were treated, mainly for smoke inhalation, Mayor Volga Ramirez said.

The authorities have started an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Azcon said the priority now is to transfer residents who were not affected by the fire to another care home in nearby Huesca.