Six individuals have died and about 80 are injured after a fireplace at a retirement house in Milan.

Two residents burned to loss of life of their rooms whereas one other 4 died from smoke inhalation, Giuseppe Sala, the mayor of Milan stated.

Rescuing the injured was "particularly complicated" due to heavy smoke that restricted visibility - and the truth that many residents couldn't stand on their very own, native firefighters' chief Nicola Miceli stated.

Three of the injured are in a essential situation, firefighters' spokesman Luca Cari stated.

Fifteen others have critical however not life-threatening accidents, he added.

The hearth began in a first-floor room, and regardless of being put out shortly and never spreading to the remainder of the constructing, it produced plenty of poisonous fumes.

A neighborhood resident, Lucia, stated she noticed individuals "gasping for air" at their home windows, holding rags over their faces to guard themselves from the fumes.

"Those who could walk, they walked them out, those who could not, I think they were carried out in their bed sheets," she stated.

Many of these evacuated have been in wheelchairs.

"It could have been [even] worse. Having said that, six dead is a very heavy death toll," Mr Sala stated.

The hearth is now out and its trigger is being investigated.

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The Home of the Spouses residential facility within the southeastern Corvetto neighbourhood homes 167 individuals in all.

According to Italian media, the hearth began about midnight, UK time.