An overnight fire at a nursing home in Milan killed six people and injured about 80, including three who are in critical condition, Italian authorities said on Friday.
The fire started in a room on the first floor of the facility. It went out quickly and did not spread to the rest of the building, but it produced a large amount of toxic gases.
Two residents burned to death in their bedroom, while four others died of poisoning, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala told reporters at the scene.
“It could have been (even) worse. Having said that, six dead is a very high death toll,” Sala said, noting that the facility housed 167 people.
Firefighter spokesman Luca Cari said the cause of the fire was being investigated, but added that it was likely accidental.
Firefighters intervened at the “Hogar de los Conjuges” residential facility in the southeast neighborhood of Corvetto shortly after 1 a.m. local time (6 p.m. ET Thursday).
Some 80 people were evacuated, many of them in wheelchairs, while another 80 were taken to hospital, local fire chief Nicola Miceli told RAI public television.
He described the rescue operations as “particularly challenging” due to the heavy smoke, which limited visibility, and the fact that many residents were unable to stand on their feet without assistance.
Lucía, a local resident, said she saw some of them “gasping for air” at their windows, covering their faces with rags to protect themselves from the fumes.
She said the rescuers “were wonderful” in helping everyone. “Those who could walk, they took out, those who couldn’t, I think they took out on their sheets.”
