One dead, dozens injured after fire at L'Ametlla del Vallès care home

One person has died in a fire at the Can Focs care home in L'Ametlla del Vallès, 35km north of Barcelona, according to the Civil Protection agency.

Catalonia's Emergency Medical Service (SEM) treated 78 people after the blaze broke out on Monday night.

In addition to the fatality, 13 people were taken to hospital with injuries from smoke inhalation while 64 sustained minor injuries that did not require hospital treatment.

Those taken to hospital were transported to Granollers Hospital, Mollet Hospital and Sant Celoni Hospital.

The 112 emergency number received several calls from 10.33pm reporting the fire on the first floor of the care home on Carrer Llerona.

Firefighters found the deceased person in a room on the first floor.

There were 80 residents and six staff members in the four-storey building at the time of the fire.

The fire service deployed about 40 firefighters and 13 vehicles, while SEM deployed 16 units, including two joint SEM-fire service teams.

Firefighters tackled the blaze from both outside and inside and the fire was brought under control at around 11pm.

The flames destroyed several rooms on the first floor, while smoke also affected the second and third floors.

As a precaution, part of the first and second floors was evacuated, while 42 residents were sheltered in place – eight on the first floor, 12 on the second and 22 on the third.

Many of those evacuated were taken to the dining room on the ground floor, which was a safe, smoke-free area.

Once the fire had been extinguished, after inspecting the building, authorities determined that the first and second floors were uninhabitable. The third floor, although affected by smoke, remains habitable.

13 residents transferred

The Departments of Health and of Social Rights and Inclusion will transfer the thirteen residents who had to be taken to hospital to other health and social care facilities.

Most will be moved to new care homes on Wednesday, though two will remain hospitalized due to respiratory issues, one of them in intensive care.

The other residents of the care home have been relocated within the same facility to rooms unaffected by smoke or flames.