The Murcia City Council had decreed the cessation of activity of the premises affected by the fire, which in the early hours of Sunday morning left 13 dead and 24 injured, in October 2022, which means that for a year the establishments have been opening without the relevant license.
This is one of the conclusions that have just been announced at a press conference by the former deputy mayor of Urban Planning and Ecological Transition, Andrés Guerrero (PSOE), and the current deputy mayor of Urban Planning, Huerta and Environment, Antonio Navarro (PP).
Both have reported, visibly nervous, on the administrative files of the affected premises, and have confirmed that the City Council denied the division of the premises to the Teatre company, property of the two nightclubs, on the understanding that it needed a new permit. Likewise, the owners made the division by building a wall without having a license.
The Fonda Milagros nightclub, where according to the first hypotheses the 13 people confirmed so far died, did not have a license to open as a nightclub. This was explained by councilor Antonio Navarro, “in addition, there was an order to cease activity for both this location and Teatre from March 2022.”
Both councilors have clarified that "administratively there is no difference between the Teatre and Fonda Milagros nightclubs, but rather they form the same entity." This company had an activity license since 2008, but presented a modification, in 2019, to divide this warehouse into two.
This change was denied by the Murcia City Council services in January 2022, because “they understood that the division of the premises meant a substantial modification that required the issuance of a new license.” After a period of allegations of several months by the company, the City Council once again rejected Teatre's appeal in March 2022. Since then, the nightclubs operated without an activity license.
In October 2022, the file was finalized with an order requiring the City Council Inspection to close due to lack of license for both leisure venues. But, once again, the nightclubs continued to offer concerts and parties, many of them with the presence of minors, despite this administrative order.
Antonio Navarro, current councilor, confirmed that there is a report from an inspector, dated October 2022 and at the request of the previous councilor, Andrés Guerrero, which reflects that the premises were not complying with what was ordered for it to cease its activity. Even so, he said that “the City Council had no evidence that the Fonda was open despite the closure order.”
Finally, the councilor insisted on several occasions that “the City Council is going to clarify responsibilities if any mistake has been made that would have allowed the two nightclubs to continue with their activity despite having this closure order. “We are going to go as far as necessary.”
Relatives of the victims continued to the scene of the event yesterday in search of some information. The spokesperson for the National Police of Murcia, Diego Seral, has confirmed to La Vanguardia that "more bodies could appear inside the damaged establishment, an extreme that cannot be ruled out, but that must be confirmed when the embers are extinguished and it is possible to enter without danger."
