A fire that erupted early Sunday at the Teatre de Murcia nightclub in the Atalayas district has been contained, authorities report. Seven people died and four were injured by smoke inhalation. This event follows a prior history of evacuations at the venue due to fire, including a notable incident in 2009 when an electrical grid overload sparked a blaze that was brought under control quickly by a coordinated emergency response, resulting in no fatalities.
Fourteen years earlier, Marcos Andrés Martínez Alcázar, the nightclub owner, explained that the overload stemmed from a passing power line over the local area. He noted that a portion of the Atalayas Industrial Site experienced a power outage which damaged cables. A small section of the venue’s front wall showed smoke staining as a result.
In the most recent incident, the owner described the precautionary steps taken after detecting the problem. Police and fire brigade personnel were alerted immediately, and their interventions focused on securing the area and ensuring the venue had evacuated safely before the fire was contained.
The owner reported that the incident involved a cable segment that overheated and caused a short circuit. He emphasized that the local line and the building are equipped with fireproof components, suggesting that while the structure could have burned more, the consequences were contained and not catastrophic. Reports indicate that Iberdrola workers arrived promptly to evaluate the electrical network, repair the damaged cables, and allow the nightclub to resume operations approximately one hour to an hour and a half after the event.
The owner noted that Teatre receives its power through underground transformers, a setup that minimizes exposure to surface electrical faults. He stated that the incident served as a real-time test of the venue’s security measures and action protocols in fire and electrical emergencies, and that the systems performed as expected under pressure. The analysis of the response underscores the importance of robust emergency planning, rapid notification procedures, and trained staff who can execute evacuations swiftly when danger is detected. The incident will likely prompt ongoing reviews of electrical infrastructure and safety protocols to reduce risk in the future, with authorities continuing to monitor any long-term implications for the venue and surrounding facilities.