• Fire The City Council gave 15 days to close La Fonda in January 2022 but councilors don't know why it wasn't done
  • Tragedy This was the parties with flares in the disco that burned down in Murcia

The National Police have arrested the manager of one of the two nightclubs that caught fire in Murcia last September where 13 people died. His arrest is part of the judicial investigation that is being carried out to clarify the origin of the incident. According to the first conclusions, the origin of the fire that devastated the Fonda Milagros and Teatre premises could have been cold-fire flares.

The investigations indicate that the manager of Fonda Milagros, Juan Esteban Ramírez, contracted the supply of this pyrotechnic material to another person who has also been arrested. Investigators from the Scientific Police found traces of these flares that generate cold sparks, but the ones used that night in thepremises may not have been approved or may have been rigged to create live fire. The two detainees face charges of 13 alleged crimes of reckless homicide.

In this judicial process, under summary secrecy, statements have already been taken from the witnesses and relatives of the victims and the accused have yet to be added, as well as the expert reports of the Fire Department and the Scientific Police.

At the same time, relatives of some of the victims have asked the investigating judge to open a separate piece to determine the responsibility of the Murcia City Council in the tragedy. Administratively, Fonda Milagros did not exist and Teatre, the parent company, did not have an operating license and was subject to the closure order.

The legal representation of these relatives of the victims requested on November 3 the indictment of the current councilor for Urban Planning, the popular Antonio Navarro, as well as his predecessor, the socialist Andrés Guerrero. In addition, he requests that statements be taken from the officials of the licensing service removed by Mayor José Ballesta, as well as that he himself appear as a witness in the case.

While the judicial process is advancing, PP and Vox voted against opening a commission of inquiry into the event in the Regional Assembly.

  • Murcia