Benalmádena house fire victim, mother of the two deceased children, transferred to Seville with burns covering 70 per cent of her body

She is currently in the Virgen del Rocío hospital in Seville, with doctors monitoring her state.

According to the emergency sources, the woman and her children lost consciousness and collapsed on the floor while trying to escape the building. The children were found dead in the corridor on the fourth floor.

Although the mother was in a critical condition when the rescue teams discovered them, the paramedics managed to stabilise and transfer her to the Andalusian capital.

According to sources consulted, everything suggests that the door to the flat where the fire started, on the third floor, remained open during the blaze, which would have accelerated the so-called 'chimney effect': the flames rose rapidly to the floor above, engulfing the escape routes in a matter of seconds and trapping the family.

Despite the efforts of the emergency services to resuscitate the 15-year-old boy and the ten-year-old girl (both with special needs), they died. Pending the autopsy results, the initial forensic findings suggest that the children died from smoke inhalation.

The forensic police have carried out the necessary visual inspection of the property where the fire broke out to determine its cause. One of the hypotheses is a spark caused by an electrical device, such as a portable battery or a charger.

They have also highlighted the large amount of clothing in the property, which acted as combustible material.

The intensity of the fire caused temperatures on the third and fourth floors of the building to reach 1,000-1,200C. According to sources, the heat has even caused the building's steel reinforcement and other materials to warp, forcing firefighters to knock down several walls and partitions to prevent collapse and secure the area.

The fire has also injured two firefighters. Other emergency personnel who were trying to put out the flames, as well as several police officers, have also required treatment for smoke inhalation.

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