Andalucía
Locals protest at death of six people in the house fire at Écija
By h.b.
Apr 21, 2008 - 7:26 PM

The Mayor of Écija, Juan Wic, has called for an investigation into the performance of the local fire service in responding to a house fire in the Sevilla province town on Sunday in which six people lost their lives. The Mayor made the call after meeting with local residents who claim that the fire service arrived late and unprepared to fight the blaze.

One report claimed their arrived with a hose more suitable for watering plants, with one family member of the deceased claiming they took 45 minutes to arrive at the scene, while other reports claimed they were there in just five minutes. Angry residents responded by throwing stones at the fire engines on Sunday.

Wic said that a 2000 litre engine with a high pressure pump and 24mm hose arrived at the scene, supported by a 9,000 litre tank vehicle, while the human resources were made up of one chief and six fire-fighters.

One of the main reasons the family are thought to have perished in the blaze was the presence of iron railings on the windows of the property.

Some 200 local people protested in silence marching through the town today.