The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.

All the victims were elderly people living in the “Jardines de Villafranca” residence, he added.

The fire started at around 5 a.m. (0400 GMT) and it took around two hours for firefighters to put it out, a spokesperson for the regional government said.

Two people were in a critical condition and several were being treated, mainly for smoke inhalation, mayor Volga Ramirez, said. Ramirez said her husband helped evacuate the elderly.

Firefighters - who came from around Zaragoza, a city 35 km (22 miles) away - were at the scene with ambulances and police, the regional government spokesperson said. The cause of the fire was still being investigated.