The director of the Municipal Civil Protection Service of the Lisbon City Council (CML) told Lusa today that 18 people were assisted on-site and that 14 were transported to the hospitals of São José and Santa Maria.

According to Margarida Castro Martins, there are three very serious victims, a couple and a five-year-old girl, who were in the elevator, and three others suffered serious injuries.

The fire broke out at 2:15 am at number 108 on Avenida Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, in the parish of São Domingos de Benfica, in a mixed building: offices up to the 5th floor and housing from the 6th to the 10th, where 21 people reside.

According to Margarida Castro Martins, an inspection will be carried out to assess the state of the building.

The alert for the fire was given at 02:15 and at 04:20 it was declared extinguished.

“The fire was extinguished in stages. It is a 10-story building. The fire started on the ground floor and spread through the technical ducts to the upper floors. The problem was getting people out, we had to remove them by mechanical means”, said a Bombeiros spokesman.

“On the ground floor, we have a restaurant and offices, there are also garages. Our concern was to find out if there was anyone in those areas. We have to mourn the death of a dog”, he said.

The commander said the cause of the fire is unknown.