At least nine people have died after a fire ripped through part of a nursing home leaving about 20 immobile patients trapped inside the facility, its second floor being engulfed with flames. It’s unclear what sparked the blaze.

The fire, which erupted shortly after midnight local time, spread to the area of 15 sq. m. (160 square feet) before it could have been put down by the firefighters.

The blaze reportedly started at the second floor of the private elderly care home, located in Krasnogorsk, northwest of Moscow. The facility, that works as a hospice, has been housing dozens of patients. 

At the moment of the incident, some 18 bed-ridden patients were inside, local emergencies services told Interfax news agency. At least nine of them have lost their lives due to the inferno.

The other nine immobile patients were evacuated by ambulances, local authorities said. Another eight residents were able to leave the facility on their own.

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Source: RT