Inoperative emergency exits or an inefficient smoke alarm, some of the irregularities reported by the victims’ families, which are added to those detected during the investigation
He Town Hall of Murcia has an internal investigation open to find out what went wrong in the Corporation so that the two discos in which thirteen people died last sunday in a fire were open despite not having a valid license.
But, in addition to the presumed bad practice by the service of Municipal inspectionrelatives of the victims are already beginning to target security issues in Fonda Milagros, the establishment where the thirteen victims were found.
“With a minimum of common sense, anyone would say that what happened in Atalayas it’s nonsense from start to finish.” Pedro López Grañaattorney representing the families of two of the people who died four days ago, originating from Nicaragua and Ecuador and distributed between Murcia and their respective countries.
For the lawyer, nightlife is a “high risk activity“, in that they are businesses that bring together a large number of people. Especially when “they lack the most basic security measures“, as everything seems to indicate, as has been transmitted to the relatives of the victims he represents.
He acknowledges that “there have been neglect of functions by the local administration”, but also “rogue on the part of the businessmen” of Milagros Theater and Fonda.
In this sense, although he hopes to continue collecting information in the coming days and hopes to know the Scientific Police report Regarding the causes of the fire, Graña points out that the smoke or fire detection systems. There were no emergency lights nor were there any operational emergency exits. “That is being a criminal,” the lawyer stressed.
Sources close to the investigation that is being carried out inside the Atalayas nightclubs confirm to La Opinión, precisely, that the emergency exits They did not meet the required standards.
To start, at the disco Golden, the least affected of all in the fire, the emergency door was not opened. In this establishment she gave plenty of time for eviction.
In Theaterthis output had a scissor blind (which should not be lying down with the premises in operation). The serious thing, however, was found in the hallway that led to the emergency door: just a meter and a half wide and also, full of drums, tanks and tubes. Obstacles that seemed to be part of a new fire prevention system, yet to be assembled. The same sources claim that even the instruction book was found.
Little can be said about Fonda Milagros, which was left in such a dilapidated state that it is still impossible to find out if the emergency door was even used. Yes, they were found in the hallway that served as an escape for the three nightclubs. many boxes of drinks, so that area could be used as a warehouse.
The owner of Jesus Spare Partsa business near the scene of the tragedy, told this Editorial Staff yesterday that the corridor through which customers of the nightclubs had to exit in case of emergency was an old ditch. “They used it as a back room,” she says.
Jose Luis Calvoauthor of a technical report on the Madrid Arena tragedy in which five girls died, now openly states to EFE that at Fonda Milagros the problem was in the “Mousetrap” into which it was converted by its “null evacuation conditions.”
An expert in activity and event security, Calvo points out that the owners of Teatre divided the two premises with plasterboard, but not compartments with fire safety measures. The compartmentalization of the premises with a False ceiling prevented the clients who were in the Fonda Milagros box, where the bodies were found, could escape the “labyrinth” that led to the exit. “And he consented”the Mint.
“Someone looked the other way”
Lawyer Pedro López Graña finds it strange that both nightclubs could be opening every weekend without the corresponding permission for so long. Above all, because he assures that “it is difficult to find a business that opens without a license” in Murcia. “Especially in the hospitality industry, they are harassed. The City Council is very scrupulous about these issues. That’s why I think that in Atalayas someone looked the other way,” he says. “I still don’t know the results of the municipal investigationbut they were there for more than a year without a license it is absolutely anomalous“concludes Graña.
“In front of the emergency exits they put screens and photocalls”
Some of the witnesses to the fire that left 13 victims mortal in the Atalayas nightclubs have pointed out to this Editorial Staff that the emergency exits of the ship’s rooms (Golden, Teatre and Fonda) were not operational.
Inmaculada Hernandeza friend of some of those who died in the fire, explains to La Opinión that when faced with these outings, “they could usually see photocall panels or separation screens; “All the times I have gone I have never seen them enabled, and I have never left there through any door other than the main one.” Although he warns that he has not paid much attention either, Hernández does not remember having seen the mandatory emergency exit signage.
It should be noted that the rear exit of Teatre leads to an alley that is blocked with huge drums. Although there is no evidence that she used that route, some of the witnesses claim that it was fortunate that people did not go out there because she would have become a mousetrap, and The tragedy could have been greater.
Another witness consultedDiana Sánchezfrom Colombia, highlights that the emergency door of the Fonda nightclub Yes, it was enabled at closing time, when the main access was closed to prevent more customers from entering, although it has not been possible to specify if this exit remained open when the main one was, or if it was enabled during the early hours of the fire.
For your partLaudes Parra He also points out that, according to some of his friends who were in Fonda during the event, the sprinklers only a few worked during the fire 40 seconds.