Winter has once again shown its cruelest face in Spanish homes in recent days. As temperatures plummeted across much of the country, a succession of house fires caused poisoning from inhaling carbon monoxide. … which left a tragic balance: at least 13 people lost their lives in recent days, as when they were trying to combat the cold inside their homes. According to data from the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Carbon monoxide causes an average of 125 deaths per year in Spain.
In just one week, emergency services intervened on several fires which had the common denominator the use of heating systems such as stoves, braziers or radiators. The result was a chain of silent deaths, often caused by the inhalation of toxic gases generated by combustion.
Several cases have occurred, starting with one on December 23 in Cáceres, where a Nicaraguan couple was found dead in their downtown home. Initial investigations indicate that they retained the a coal stove inside the room to alleviate the cold. The lack of ventilation caused the buildup of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that acts deadly with virtually no warning signs. The same day, in the town of Nerja, Malaga, the Civil Guard found a 48-year-old man dead inside his home. Although the exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed, the main hypothesis points to poor combustion of a stove to heat the house.
Christmas Eve left more dramatic scenes. In the town of Almadén, Ciudad Real, a 55-year-old man died in a fire that broke out in his house. The exact cause has not been determined, but police sources have confirmed that fire broke out in the living room and, although the victim’s brother managed to escape unharmed, nothing could be done to save his life, as reported by Javier Guayerbas. The same day, in Cádiar, a small town in the Alpujarra of Granada, an 82-year-old man died of the same causes as the previous one, a fire has broken out inside your house. The man lived alone and it was his neighbors who raised the alarm, as reported by Guillermo Ortega.
Christmas morning claimed the lives of several minors and young people in different regions of Spain, in a succession of domestic accidents that transformed some important dates into tragedy. In the town of Baltanás, Palencia, a 12-year-old boy died and other members of his family had to be hospitalized after a carbon monoxide poisoning. The house had aglory“a traditional heating system which could have generated the gases that the miner inhaled. The miner’s father subsequently died, while a 21-year-old woman and a two-year-old girl were treated for symptoms of poisoning, as reported by Isabel Jimeno.
The same morning, the province of Granada was also in mourning upon hearing the news of the death in Alhaurín el Grande of two teenagers aged 15 and 16a romantic couple, who died trapped by flames in a house. The very virulent fire caused the partial collapse of the building structure, preventing emergency services from being able to rescue them in time. The first investigations indicate a possible short circuit as the origin of the fire, as reported by Alejandro Trujillo.
The chain of events continued on December 26 in Tenerife, where a 63-year-old man and a woman died after house fire in La Matanza de Acentejo. Both were rescued unconscious by firefighters, but doctors could only certify their death due to smoke and gas inhalation. as reported by Laura Bautista . The same day, in Mugardos (A Coruña), a 49-year-old father and his 21-year-old son were found dead in a house that showed obvious signs of fire. Autopsies must determine whether gas inhalation was the cause of death.
Experts emphasize the importance of maintaining boilers, stoves and fireplaces, as well as the need to adequately ventilate spaces and avoid the use of closed indoor combustion systems. However, every winter the same pattern repeats itself.
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