Two people have died and a further six have been injured as a result of a fire that broke out in a five-storey apartment block just after midnight in Calle Chavarri in Sestao (Vizcaya).
The cause of the fire is as yet unknown, but it produced such dense smoke that police and the fire department had to evacuate the whole building, rescuing those on the upper floors via their balconies.
According to the mayor of Sestao, José Luis Marcos Merino, residents were able to return to their homes around 2am.
One of the dead is a man aged around 45, whose identity has not yet been released, who was found in the bathroom of his third-floor flat, just above where the fire started. It is believed he died from smoke inhalation.
The other victim, a man in his 70s, believed to be his father, died in hospital also from smoke inhalation.
Six more people were hospitalised due to the effects of the smoke, but none is believed to be in a serious condition. One of those still receiving medical care is a 73-year-old woman, believed to be the mother and wife of the two dead men.