‘Most were unconscious’: Mexican firefighter recounts tragic migrant center blaze that killed 40

Activists and migrants outside the Mexican interior ministry in Mexico City on 29 March demand an investigation into the fire in Ciudad Juárez. Photograph: Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images

When Isidro’s phone rang past his bedtime, he knew it could only mean a fire had started somewhere in Ciudad Juárez. The man on the other end of the line told him to head to the immigration detention center near the bridge that connects the Mexican border city with El Paso, Texas.

At around 10.20pm on 27 March, Isidro didn’t know he was on his way to an epic tragedy.