Spain Orders Closure of Fire-Damaged Nightclubs by 2022

Local officials have revealed that two nightclubs involved in a deadly fire in the Spanish city of Murcia had been ordered to close last year. The Teatre and Fonda Milagros nightclubs, operated by the same company, were only permitted to run one of them. It remains unclear as to why the clubs were allowed to continue operating despite the closure order. Reports state that at least 13 individuals, including people from Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Spain, were killed in the fire. Among the victims were also family members celebrating a birthday. Authorities have not yet identified the cause of the fire and investigations are ongoing. The Deputy Mayor of Murcia, Antonio Navarro, informed the media that the city council had instructed the closure of the Teatre and Fonda Milagros nightclubs in January of this year. He explained that the company was only licensed to operate the Teatre, and the Fonda Milagros was established afterwards. The deputy mayor promised to determine who was responsible for the fire but did not provide an explanation as to how the venues were able to continue operating despite the closure order. Police believe that the fire originated in the Fonda Milagros and then spread to the Teatre and another nightclub called the Golden, all located in the same building. A police spokesperson stated that the fatalities were concentrated in the Fonda establishment. The mayor of Murcia, Jose Ballesta, has declared three days of mourning in the city. This fire is considered to be the most severe such incident in Spain in over 30 years, since the nightclub fire in Zaragoza in 1990 that claimed the lives of 43 people.