Fire Victim Dies Following Madrid Rescue Operation

One person died and a firefighter suffered burns during a fire at an old building in Madrid. The incident reportedly involved a lack of required personnel, as the initial response had fewer firefighters than mandated. Councilman Enrique Rico is calling for political accountability, stating that the shortage of firefighters is costing lives. The area delegate is being urged to assume responsibility for the staffing levels. Victims of a recent fire died in the hospital approximately 48 hours after the incident. Emergency services recorded 132 interventions on the night of the fire, compared to a typical 80. David Gómez, the general secretary of the city's firefighters union, denounced the precarious state of the service. The union noted that 167 firefighters were operational across the capital during the event. The rescue operation was conducted with fewer firefighters than required for such interventions and lacked sufficient material resources, including an aerial ladder for upper floors. The Comisiones union reported that the situation resulted from municipal policies that keep the service overloaded.