Consternation and, above all, a lot of pain among the friends and family of the victims of the fire in three nightclubs in Atalayas de Murcia: Teatre, Fonda and Golden, which spread to adjacent premises.
At the moment, there are thirteen people who died in the incident, “although the numbers may increase once we search the entire area,” according to a firefighter who has participated in the extinguishing efforts and who cannot reveal his name to La Vanguardia. .
The testimonies of “anguish” spread through the networks like the same fire that, apparently, began with a short circuit and spread like wildfire, leaving a trail of desolation. The Murcia newspaper La Verdad collects on its website one of the most chilling testimonies of what happened. The journalist echoes the call from one of the missing women, a 28-year-old girl, to her mother. “Mommy, I love you, we are going to die” was her brief and heartbreaking message.
So far, in addition to the deceased, there are four injured, all due to smoke inhalation, two women aged 22 and 25 and two men aged 41 and 45. Medicalized and transport ambulances from the Health Emergencies and Emergencies Management -061 – They have been treated, and two of those affected have been taken to the hospital. There is also an unknown number of slightly injured people who have gone to hospitals on their own.
Following a call that several neighbors made around 6:00 a.m., firefighters moved to the area to put out the flames and, once the fire was extinguished, they began searching for the victims. Subsequently, Fire Fighting and Rescue Consortium Resources were incorporated into the work. A total of 12 fire vehicles and 40 personnel continue working, after putting out the fire, to secure the area after the fire.
There are now specialized units from the Murcia Police Headquarters investigating the fires at the scene, trying to determine the origin of the events, the initial theory being a short circuit in one of the nightclub’s lights. Members of the Homicide Group have also joined the investigation.
Sources close to the investigation have indicated that the flames have spread rapidly, the roof has collapsed, and that it ended up collapsing an hour after the firefighters were acting. They add that the fatalities were on the upper floor and were surprised by the flames and could not get out. These sources indicate that some of the bodies were completely burned.
The Murcia Sports Palace has been enabled to offer psychological support and specialized units after the tragedy was confirmed. The Red Cross has deployed its psychosocial ERIE to care for the families of friends and the deceased, who at the moment number more than fifty. The mayor of Murcia, José Ballesta, has traveled to the area and has decreed three days of official mourning for the victims.
