Spanish press reports that on 12 July a fire killed eight residents in a home for the elderly in Zaragoza. 12 more were injured, some seriously. One of those injured was a member of staff. Initial reports suggest that the fire started in a mattress on the first floor of the Santa Fe care home. Unlike many other European countries, Spain does not require fire sprinkler systems to be installed in care homes.

Statistics from NFPA in the US show that sprinkler systems reduce the fire death rate in care homes by 85%. The risk of death from fire is much higher in these buildings, firstly because the occupants are often unable to evacuate unaided and secondly because doors between rooms are often held open to allow residents to communicate with each and with the staff. Thus fire and smoke can spread quickly through the building. A sprinkler system prevents fire spread and greatly reduces the amount of smoke released. Conditions are then survivable outside the room where the fire starts and can be survivable in it as well.