Murcia nightclub fire hearing begins

The statements of the case of the fire at the Atalayas nightclubs that occurred last October begin today.

The first to testify before the judge of the Investigative Court number 3 of Murcia will be Alfonso Guirao, head of special effects at the nightclub, and Carlos Ruiz, DJ organiser of the party that took place that night.

Last week, the Scientific Police report was released indicating that the “most likely” cause of the fire was the sparks caused by a cold fire machine located next to the false ceiling of the Sala Teatre.

The lawyer for the company that owns Teatre, the lawyer José María Caballero, is preparing an expert report against this police report to try to prove that the company acted correctly during the event. The facilities had adequate security measures, including an emergency door on the façade that made up for the defects of another, at the back of the unit, which cannot be considered an emergency exit due to its characteristics, they will defend.

The expert will try to ensure that no criminal responsibility can be attributed to the owners of the nightclub because, although the police report points out the Teatre’s cold fire machine as a possible cause of the fire, there are witnesses who testify that at the Fonda Milagros they saw sparks coming out of a kitchen.

For his part, the lawyer for two of the families of the deceased, José Manuel Muñoz, understands that the police report should have included aspects related to security and the conditions in which the affected premises were found. Muñoz believes that we must distinguish between the origin of the fire, which seems clear, and what caused the death of 13 people.

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