A fire at a retirement home in Milan in the early hours of Friday killed six individuals, according to firefighters, with “numerous” others wounded.
The fire brigade agency through its official Twitter account tweeted, “Six people killed, numerous (others) suffering from smoke inhalation hospitalised. Dozens of people saved by firefighters who immediately evacuated the building”.
An AFP photographer witnessed the removal of the bodies of two of the victims from the three-story structure, which was apparently housing 167 people when the fire broke out.
The cause of the fire was unknown, according to the fire department.
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 to the hospital, including two who were in critical condition.
Also according to Italian media, 14 additional people are in critical condition.
It was gathered that five of the victims were women between the ages of 69 and 87, while the sixth victim was a male aged 73.
Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala stated that the fire “began in a room containing two female residents,” who were both slain by the flames.
“It did not spread, not even to the neighbouring rooms, but the smoke is just as deadly and the four other victims died of smoke inhalation”.
It was a member of staff who sounded the alarm at 1:20 am (2320 GMT Thursday), he said.
