Ben Pawlowski
ONE person has died after a fire ripped through a homeless shelter in Barcelona on Tuesday morning.
Some 87 others were forced to evacuate after the blaze broke out at 6.22am local time in the Zona Franca district of Spain’s second largest city.
The inferno occurred during the San Juan festival, a popular night of celebrations during the summer solstice where partygoers start bonfires and set off fireworks.
However, investigators from Catalunya’s regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, say the death is unrelated to the festivities.
Sources close to the investigation told El País that police believe the unnamed victim barricaded themselves into a room before deliberately starting the fire.
According to Barcelona’s deputy mayor for security, Albert Batlle, the first fire crew reached the scene just two minutes after the blaze broke out.
“The centre is right in front of the fire station,” he said.
Some of those evacuated from the shelter were sent to hospital, where they received medical attention.
Click here to read more Spain News from The Olive Press.
