A 75-year-old woman who was injured last Thursday by a gas explosion in a Fuencarral-El Pardo building died on Friday at La Paz Hospital, where she had been admitted, health authorities confirmed to Europa Press. Her death marks a tragic, final consequence of the incident that began in a family home in Madrid.
Her daughter, 42, who was also injured, remains hospitalized at the same center as she recovers from burns sustained during the blast, according to the same sources.
The explosion occurred in the La Paz neighborhood, at 42 Arzobispo Morcillo Street, where both women lived. The elder woman suffered burns on 20 percent of her body surface, while her daughter was brought to the hospital with burns affecting about 60 percent of her skin. Three other people needed medical care for anxiety episodes. These details come from hospital and municipal sources.
The blast took place on the ninth floor of a thirteen‑story building, forcing residents to evacuate and leaving the property without power and gas services.
Borja Carabante, Madrid’s deputy mayor for Urbanism, Environment and Mobility and the city’s second deputy mayor, indicated on Friday that residents of the upper floors (apartments 8 through 13) would need roughly four months to return to their homes. This timeline follows the collapse of the elevator and inaccessible stairways caused by the incident.
Control of Building specialists are now conducting debris removal, a process expected to take between 10 and 12 days. After that phase, the property owner, via the insurance company, will oversee rehabilitation works estimated at about four months by the municipal technical services.
As for other affected neighbors, utility companies are working to restore electricity, gas, and water with the aim of returning residents to their homes as soon as possible.
Samur Social has offered assistance to those without housing solutions. According to the delegate, no family has requested resources since alternatives were arranged for them.
The police are investigating the causes of the explosion. A spokesman for the Fire Department explained that all indications point to a gas leak within a pipeline. At the time of arrival, a leak was still active. The official described a strong blast resulting from a dense air-gas mixture, which, when ignited, can create a shock wave and a fireball that injures those nearby. This assessment aligns with the injuries reported by hospital authorities and the subsequent mechanical and electrical considerations that can trigger such a deflagration.