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The ABC Day Care Center Fire in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, took place on Friday, June 5, 2009. Thirty children died that day〔 and the death toll subsequently rose as additional children succumbed to their injuries. As of June 7th, 44 toddlers and infants were reported killed as a result of the blaze.〔 〕〔 〕 Five additional children died in the coming weeks, raising the final death toll to 49.〔 〕 Over 40 infants and toddlers and six adults were hospitalized with burns.〔 〕〔 〕〔 〕 == Fire == The blaze started at 3pm (2200 GMT) on Friday, June 5, 2009. It was initially reported that the fire began in a tire warehouse next door and then spread to the child care center. Further investigation revealed that the actual source was a different warehouse, one operated by the state government. Within just a few minutes the fire caused the collapse of a roof section which fell on the children, infants and employees below. One of the first responders on the scene reported that all children were unconscious or dead and there were no sounds of children crying.〔 Firefighters took two hours to contain the blaze.〔 〕 "They told me that this happened in a matter of five minutes," said Hermosillo Mayor Ernesto Gándara.〔 〕 "According to what our people saw, there was an explosion followed immediately by flames," reported Daniel Karam, the director of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).〔 〕 "We began to smell smoke and the alarm went off. But it was explosive and there was no chance to get more children out," stated María Adriana Gasca Sandoval, a daycare aide.〔 〕 Over 142 children were attending the day care center at the time of the blaze, according to Sonora Governor Eduardo Bours, "There were 142 children in the nursery, 35 have died, and another 41 are hospitalized."〔 〕 The daycare center had passed an inspection on May 26th, the week prior to the blaze. The number of enrolled children, 142 as well as the 6 staff members providing care for them were also within the approved ratio of caregiver to children for day care centers. Reports two days after the blaze revealed, however, that although the warehouse had windows, they were mounted too high and did not provide access to the daycare center for rescue operations.〔 A fire department officer unofficially reported that the converted warehouse building had only one operational exit. One mother claimed a second exit was locked and the key could not be found.〔 〕 A desperate passerby, Francisco Manuel Lopez Villaescusa, drove his Silverado truck through the walls to gain entrance and knocked three holes into the building. By Sunday, Sonora state Health Minister Raymundo López Vucovich announced, "In the past few hours three more have died. Twelve of the 22 hospitalized children are in a dangerous condition."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2009 Hermosillo daycare center fire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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