Mother and nine-year-old daughter die in bar fire in Cedrillas, Spain

Outbreak at bar Cedrún

A fire broke out around 17:24 on Sunday afternoon at bar Cedrún, located at number 7 Calle Rey Juan Carlos I in Cedrillas, a town in the eastern Spanish province of Teruel. The flames started on the ground floor of the two-story building, where the hospitality business operated, before climbing quickly toward the residential quarters situated on the level above. Preliminary evidence indicates that the ignition point may have been inside the kitchen of the restaurant, though technical confirmation remains pending. The fire developed rapid intensity, generating dense clouds of smoke that trapped occupants inside the property. The two fatalities were identified as a 32-year-old woman and her nine-year-old daughter. Both victims were members of a family of Colombian origin who had assumed operational management of the establishment in June 2026.

Civilian rescue efforts

Before public emergency units could reach the location, several local residents initiated immediate rescue actions. Three neighbours entered the burning premises through the heavy smoke to search for occupants trapped inside the building. The group successfully carried out the nine-year-old girl, who had already sustained critical injuries from severe smoke inhalation. Roughly 15 minutes after rescuing the child, the same residents managed to locate and bring out the 32-year-old mother. Bystanders used household hoses to direct water into the flames and placed a ladder against the facade to reach upper openings. The neighbours also assisted in evacuating a man from an adjoining home connected to the structure, successfully extracting him without fatal injuries.

Emergency deployment and containment

Medical personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the initial emergency call was logged by dispatchers at 17:24. Paramedics from the 112 emergency response network, including staff from a deployed medical helicopter and a mobile intensive care ambulance, initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation on both the mother and the daughter. Despite sustained efforts by the healthcare workers, neither victim could be revived. Medical personnel also evaluated the third individual evacuated from the first floor of the building, treating him for potential smoke intoxication before clearance.

Judicial investigation

The firefighting response was coordinated by the Provincial Council of Teruel, which dispatched four professional firefighters, two officers, and the duty operations chief. The deployment included two primary response trucks and a specialized turntable ladder vehicle with a dedicated driver, accompanied by an auxiliary volunteer firefighter based in Alcalá de la Selva. Fire crews contained the spread of the flames through the interior floors and officially declared the blaze extinguished at 19:30. Four patrol units from the Guardia Civil cordoned off the perimeter around Calle Rey Juan Carlos I during operations. The Judicial Police Unit of the Teruel Guardia Civil Command assumed direct responsibility for the forensic investigation to establish the root cause of the blaze and determine the structural factors behind its rapid progression.