13 Dead After Fire in Unlicensed Club Fonda Milagros in Spain

On Sunday morning, a blaze swept through Murcia nightclub Fonda Milagros.

Tragedy struck over the weekend as a deadly fire broke out in reportedly unlicensed Murcia, Spain nightclub Fonda Milagros as well as adjacent clubs Golden and Teatre. It claimed the lives of 13 people and injured at least four.

According to SUR, the blaze began around 6am on Sunday morning and mostly affected Fonda Milagros, where it originated. By the following day, the 13 bodies had been found with five more individuals missing. Those missing have been found, and four were treated for smoke inhalation.

Murcia City Council Vice Mayor Rebeca Perez told La7 that a total of 17 people involved with the fire are staying in local hotels and receiving psychological support.

“The early morning of October 1 will be forever marked in our hearts,” wrote Murcia’s fire brigade on X (formerly known as Twitter). “No one in the history of Murcia Firefighters remembers a service of these characteristics.”

Investigations into the incident have not identified the cause of the blaze, Spain’s deadliest nightclub fire since 43 died in Zaragoza in 1990. According to the BBC, Fonda Milagros and Teatre had been ordered to close in January 2022. The company that owns all three clubs later obtained a license for Teatre, but Murcia Deputy Mayor Antonio Navarro said he was unsure how it had been able to run Fonda Milagros.

The 13 deceased include Spanish people as well as visitors from Colombia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. Among them were members of a family celebrating a birthday.

Murcia mayor José Ballesta declared a mourning period of three days following the incident. “The firefighters leave the burned premises and the scientific and judicial police enter to carry out the investigation work,” he said.

This is a developing story, and EDM Identity will update it as new information becomes available.