Jose Antonio Rendon, 47, and his wife Antonia Hidalgo, 56, were killed in a horror blaze alongside their two sons at their house in Spain – the cause of the fire has been linked to a phone charger
A familly has tragically died after they were trapped in a house fire which was caused by a mobile phone.
Jose Antonio Rendon, 47, his wife Antonia Hidalgo, 56, and their two sons Jose Antonio, 20, and Adrian, 16, were killed in the horrifying blaze in Spain. Their neighbours desperately tried to save them but their windows and doors were fitted with railings for extra security.
Locals said they heard their screams for help as smoke engulfed the terraced property in Guillena near Seville. Police have since confirmed that the cause of the fire was linked to a phone that was charging on the sofa downstairs. In response to the tragedy, the local town hall declared three days of mourning ahead of the funerals, where hundreds of mourners paid their respects.
According to reports, neighbours noticed something was wrong shortly after 8am on Sunday. The victims were believed to still be asleep and didn’t have time to get out with the additional security measures that had been set up at the home. Fruit wholesaler Jose Antonio’s body was found upstairs along with his wife’s and their children downstairs when firefighters eventually managed to access the property.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Seville said: “We have concluded the fire was caused by the explosion and combustion of the battery of a mobile phone that was on charge on the ground floor, on a sofa.” Guillena’s mayor Lorenzo Medina said during a visit to the scene of the tragedy: “Any unexpected death is dramatic but on this occasion far more because of the circumstances and the fact four members of the same family lost their lives, the two parents and their children aged 16 and 20.”
A friend said in an emotional tribute on Facebook, referring to the boys’ mum by her shortened first name of Toni: “Jose Antonio Rendon, Toni Hidalgo and their children Jose and Adrian. How sad to see you go in such a tragic way! Our hearts are broken and there are no words to describe the pain. I am sure your souls will be happier than ever in the precious place we all go to at the end of our first road. This is not a goodbye but a ’see you later’ albeit a sad one.”
Sunday’s blaze was the second most lethal residential property fire so far this year in Spain. In February a devastating fire at two residential apartment blocks in Valencia killed 10 people and claimed the lives of nearly 100 pets. Phone battery explosions have been linked to several deaths. In September 2019, Alua Asetkyzy Abzalbek, 14, was killed in her sleep after her charging smartphone exploded on her pillow as she slept at home in Bastobe, Kazakhstan.
