The fires in 2023 left an indelible mark on Spain. In total, 249 deaths were recorded between January 1 and December 31, with 173 occurring at home. These figures make last year the worst since the first edition of the ‘Study of Fire Victims in Spain’ (2010), and place us “in environments that were not known in Spain since the beginning of the 90s of the last century.”
During the year, a total of 202 fatal fires were recorded. The vast majority, 176, had a single fatality. However, the most tragic of all claimed the lives of 13 peoplemostly young people who were partying at the Fonda Milagros, a nightclub in Murcia, which burned due to a cold fire machine in poor condition in the Teatre room and which spread the flames to the adjacent premises. In addition, there were 17 accidents with two deaths, six fires with three fatalities, and two accidents with four deaths.
Regarding the causes of deaths, the smoke inhalation: 176 people (71% of the fatalities), followed by burns, which caused 66 deaths (26.5% of the total). and in third and fourth place, with a lower percentage, trauma (1.2%) and other injuries (0.5%).
Poisoning while sleeping
The report highlights that three out of four died for a preventable reason if they had a smoke detector. In addition, considering that the majority of fires and therefore deaths occur at night in the early hours of the morning, it confirms that many of the victims died without even seeing the fire, probably without even knowing that there was a fire.
Most fires originated in January and February, when temperatures are lower in Spain and therefore heating systems tend to be used. According to the report, the number of deaths in the cold months – 150 victims out of 249 – “makes it clear that mortality from fires is directly related to low temperatures and the use of heating systems.” As a percentage, the cold accounts for 60% of the deaths. Fake chargers, heating systems and a malfunctioning electrical network have turned the home into a “death trap”, according to the report.
By autonomous communities
Serving the autonomous communities, Catalonia tops the table of fatalitieswith 46 people dying in fires in 2023 (18.5% of the national total), followed by Andalusia and the Valencian Community, which recorded 42 and 37 deaths, respectively. By death rate per million inhabitants, Murcia, with 14.18, is the most affected community, followed by Extremadura, with 9.48, and Comunidad Valenciana, with 7.09.
If we look at deaths by age range, again, Those over 64 years of age are the most vulnerable groupwith 85 deaths. Although there have been some incidents in nursing homes, this is because the home of the elderly is usually a risk environment with greater numbers of danger variables, such as the addition of the limitation of their physical capabilities, loneliness that prevents them from having immediate help or obsolete housing facilities. In fact, the report indicates that in 2023 the risk of dying in a fire multiplied by three if the person lived alone compared to if they lived with someone.
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