By Nancy Caouette
MEXICO CITY
At least 16 people are dead after a fire tore through a senior nursing home in Mexicali, the city’s mayor said Tuesday.
Five elderly residents are being treated for burns and intoxication while 20 others have been transferred to another shelter, Mayor Jamie Diaz Ochoa told reporters.
The fire began early Tuesday in the non-profit Hermoso Atardecer residence, located in the rural area of Queretaro, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the centre of Mexicali, Baja California, that borders the U.S. state of California.
There were 45 people inside the building when the fire broke out, local media El Universal reported.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.