MILAN, Italy: Firefighters claimed on Friday that six people were killed in a fire at a retirement home in Milan, while “numerous” residents were hospitalized.
“Six persons were killed, and several (others) hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Firefighters who swiftly evacuated the building saved dozens of individuals, according to a tweet from the fire department.
Two of the victims’ bodies were seen being removed from the three-storey structure, which at the time of the incident was home to 167 people, by an AFP photographer.
The fire brigade stated that the cause of the incident was not yet identified. A silver mortuary van, several fire trucks, and more than ten ambulances could be seen outside the structure in the southern Italian city. According to Milan’s fire chief Nicola Micele, 80 individuals were taken by ambulance, including two in critical condition. According to Italian media, 14 other people are in severe condition.
According to the sources, the sixth fatality was a 73-year-old guy. Five of the victims were women between the ages of 69 and 87. The flames “started in one room housing two female residents,” Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala stated, adding that the fire “did not spread, not even to the neighboring rooms,” but that the smoke is “just as deadly.” The four additional victims died of smoke inhalation. He said a staff member set the alarm off at 1:30 am (23:20 GMT).
According to fire chief Michele, who spoke to Rai News, staff raised the alarm when they noticed the smoke. Four teams of firefighters were sent out right away, he added. In one area of the structure, they encountered flames in one room and very poor lighting in a passageway. After putting out the fire, they concentrated on removing the visitors. As a result of the smoke and the fact that some of the visitors were unable to walk, the evacuation was particularly challenging. —AFP/APP
