The emergency call was received at 1:46 p.m. at a residence located at number 12 on Mossèn Salvador Ritort i Faus street, in the area known as Xalets de la Salle. Two people were inside the property when the fire broke out.
The fire, which originated in the chimney and quickly spread to a sofa, was extinguished by four units of the Bombers de la Generalitat (Catalan Firefighters). Only one occupant was able to exit and alert emergency services, while firefighters located the man's lifeless body.
Elderly people are one of the highest-risk profiles when a fire breaks out in a building.
The Sistema d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) activated three ambulances and a psychological support unit, treating a 78-year-old woman for minor injuries. The Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan Police) have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire, which left the entire house affected by smoke.
This victim brings the total number of deaths from house fires in Catalonia during January to four. Previous cases include a man in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and another in Constantí, both on January 7, and two women who died on January 13 and January 29 in Barcelona and Breda, respectively.
