A YOUNG family of four has died in a fire which destroyed their block of flats in Bilbao's Zorroza neighbourhood, which has left at least 25 others needing medical attention.
A husband and wife aged 23 and 20 respectively, and their two children – said to be aged between two and three – who had lived their entire lives in the top floor flat all their lives are believed to have perished some time around 06.30 today when the blaze broke out.
The deceased adults have been named as Joaquín Giménez Pinto, a market trader, and his wife Rocío, whose family name has not been given, both of whom are of Spanish gypsy origin.
They lived in the flat with Joaquín's parents, who have survived although it is not known whether they have been injured.
At least 12 of those attended to by paramedics at the scene are said to have suffered serious injuries and severe smoke inhalation.
Witnesses say they saw 'several children and adults' jumping out of windows in the block, a two-storey construction with a loft which had been converted into the penthouse flat and in which the family who died had lived.
A large part of the structure of what was originally an old house but later converted into flats is said to be wood, meaning once the flames took hold, the entire building was engulfed.
Neighbours, who were awoken this morning by screams, even tried to get inside the block to help, but were beaten back by the inferno.
The cause of the blaze is not known, but the city council says the whole building has caved in on the inside and that the electrics, at least from the outside, appear to be 'in perfect condition'.
“This is a tragedy, I'm broken,” said mayor Íñigo Pombo.
Photograph by the Basque Country regional emergency services
