The house in Vilafranca where fire claimed the life of a five-year-old. | Emilio Queirolo

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An electrical fault is believed to have been the cause of the fire at a house in Vilafranca on Saturday which resulted in the death of a five-year-old child.

Guardia Civil forensics investigators have had to wait until Monday to properly start their investigation. This was due to the heat in the kitchen at the two-storey property. Initial examination points to the fire having started in plugs in the kitchen. The wall with these plugs was totally burned by the fire. A fridge and an electric heater were similarly affected.

At the time of the fire, it would seem that the child ran up to the second floor and into a bedroom. The flames took hold rapidly and his great-grandmother was unable to get to him. The emergency services were on the scene very rapidly but couldn't save the child, who died from smoke asphyxiation.