BARCELONA, Spain — Three people have died in a blaze at an abandoned warehouse in north-east Spain that was sheltering hundreds of migrants.

Authorities said at least 20 people were injured — two critically — in the fire that began on Wednesday evening in Badalona.

Firefighters announced the third death around Thursday lunchtime and there are fears more people are trapped inside.

Between 100 and 200 migrants are believed to have been squatting in precarious conditions there, according to municipal authorities.

"We located 60 people, but many came out through the back windows and left," said the mayor of Badalona, ​​Xavier Garcia Albiol. "Maybe more than a hundred came out,"

More than twenty crews have been tackling the fire, which was so powerful there was little chance of finding people alive, said chief firefighter David Borrell.

Images broadcast by a local television or on social networks showed tall flames coming out of the building, with several individuals hanging from the facade to try and escape.

The head of the Catalan health authority, Alba Vergés, said 17 people had been injured, two of whom are in critical condition and four others who were in a serious condition, after jumping from the building to escape the fire. — Euro news