A major scare occurred on Saturday night in Aranjuez, after a fire in a four-story block forced firefighters to rescue five trapped neighbors. The events took place on Almansa Street, when, for reasons that are being investigated, a mattress on a second floor caught fire and the fire quickly spread to the entire house.
Members of the Fire Department of the Community of Madrid went to the scene and had to work hard to extinguish the flames and help five residents of the second and third floors, confined to their homes due to the high presence of smoke. Likewise, the Summa-112 healthcare workers treated nine people for mild smoke poisoning, of which only one of them had to be transferred to the Aranjuez Hospital.
This event joins another very similar one, which occurred on Christmas Day in the town of Móstoles. Also there, nine people were poisoned by smoke after the fire in a house in a six-story building on Pintor Velázquez Street. Two of those affected were taken to the city’s University Hospital.
To limit the risk of fire in homes, firefighters remember a series of guidelines. When cooking, for example, the handles of the pans must be turned inwards, and if one of them starts to burn it should be put out with a lid but never by pouring water. And if gas is still used in the stove, pay special attention to the flames if they are reddish or yellow. It is also important to check the ashtrays, if there are smokers in the home, to check that all the butts have been extinguished. In the event that a plug fails, it is essential not to use it until it has been checked by a professional, and the same for any electrical appliance present in the home.
If a fire has broken out in our building, we must close the doors and place towels or damp cloths at the bottom to prevent the passage of smoke; and never go out onto the landing. In that sense, it is worth remembering that the majority of deaths occur from inhalation and not from burns.
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