Two firefighters killed in perfume shop fire in Villa Crespo

Two firefighters died and another 15 were wounded after two explosions in a perfume shop in the capital Tuesday as they were trying to extinguish a blaze, the emergency services said.

eThe blaze, which came on the National Day of Voluntary Firefighters, took the lives of Ariel Gastón Vázquez, 27, and Maximiliano Firma Paz, 43, officials later confirmed.

"As we were picking up the fallen firefighters we were caught by the second explosion... There are two dead and 15 wounded," Alberto Crescenti, head of the SAME emergency medical system, told news channel C5N. 

Six of the injured were taken to hospitals by police helicopter.

Reports suggest the fire began at 5pm, with an explosion one hour later that came from the basement of the perfume shop, called Pigmento, located on Av. Corrientes. Staff kept stock and merchandise in the basement, according to local outlets.

Perfumeries are among the shops considered essential during the coronavirus lockdown in Buenos Aires, as they sell face masks and hand sanitiser. 

Covid-19 has so far claimed 569 lives in Argentina, out of more than 18,000 cases.

– TIMES/AFP