Six elderly people died today in a Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Mirandela nursing home following a fire, the institution’s ombudsman Adérito Gomes has reported.
The fire started in a “bedsore mattress” in a room with three patients, he said – all of whom died. Three others in another room succumbed to smoke inhalation and respiratory problems.
The fire broke out at the Bom Samaritano nursing home, home to 89 elderly people, many of whom (from images posted on the fire) appear to be either bed-ridden or confined to wheelchairs. It managed to be contained to the room where it started, but the entire building was filled with smoke.
Some patients have since had to be transported to hospitals in Mirandela, Macedo de Cavaleiros, and Bragança, Adérito Gomes told Lusa. The rest are being transferred to other nursing homes within the institution.
The fire broke out around five this morning. Three employees who were on duty raised the alarm.
PJ police meantime are investigating the circumstances behind this tragedy. There will be a number of questions, particularly into why the building was able to fill so rapidly with smoke. It has been suggested that the fire alarm ‘did not ring’ and that fire extinguishers available were also faulty. Twenty other residents were injured, five of whom are said to be in a serious condition.
For now, the victims have not been identified. Their family members have all been offered psychological support, while the Mirandela municipality has declared three days of mourning, and cancelled all activities planned over the weekend.
Source material: LUSA
