Fire fall tragedy

Pensioner’s death is under investigation

AN 83-YEAR-old woman plunged from the eighth floor of an old people’s home in Alicante city on Sunday evening.

A National Police spokesman told state news agency EFE that there had been a fire in the pensioner’s room but evidence suggests that she may have committed suicide. He explained that the blaze appeared to have been started at two separate points in the room.

A spokesman for Alicante city hall’s emergency department stated that the whole of the eighth floor of the building had been evacuated when the fire broke out, shortly after 22.30.

A total of four fire engines were sent to the centre on Calle Cronista Vicente Martínez Morella in the Juan XXIII neighbourhood in the north of the city.

National police also attended, along with local police and several ambulances.

Firemen were able to quickly extinguish the blaze and prevent it spreading to other areas of the building.

After they had ventilated the area, the residents were allowed to return to their rooms.

The body of the 83 year old was found on the roof of a ground floor porch.

Paramedics were not able to revive the woman and it is thought she died immediately after the fall.

EFE reported that the home had been affected by a fire in 2015 which led to the evacuation of all 150 residents.

This had been caused by cigarette which had not been properly extinguished.