Spain
Fire disaster: Discos had no operating license
Firefighters work in front of the “Teatre” discotheque where a fire broke out. photo
© Javi Carrión/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
A happy night of partying turns into tragedy within seconds for many people in southeastern Spain. A fire turns three discos in Murcia into infernos. Now new details are coming to light.
The discos in Murcia in the southeast Spain, where 13 people died in a fire on Sunday, did not have a valid operating license. An official closure order had been in place for two of the three burnt-out restaurants since the beginning of last year, city councilor Antonio Navarro, who is responsible for urban planning, told journalists in Murcia.
“(The discos) Teatre and Fonda have been operating without authorization since the January 2022 order to cease operations,” Navarro was quoted as saying by state television channel RTVE.
The city administration will take “vigorous action” against those possibly responsible and act as a plaintiff in the investigation, the politician emphasized. According to this official information, the closure order was due to a reform of the interior that had not been finally approved.
According to official information, 13 people were killed and 24 people were injured in the fire that broke out early on Sunday morning. Murcia’s mayor José Ballesta declared three days of mourning. The cause of the fire initially remained unknown. The Spanish National Police opened an investigation.