The facade of the Santa Lucía Hospital in Cartagena burned down like Las Fallas Ninot. Although what came to the minds of many witnesses was Photo of the fire that destroyed the Campanar building in Valencia, February 22, 2024which claimed the lives of ten innocent people.
This Wednesday, around seven in the morning, in the known area A city three thousand years old No tragedy occurred The courage of health workers in Santa Luciato evacuate dozens of patients in a few minutes, and Firefighters worked for the Cartagena City Council Who went to face the fire like true Spartans.
EL ESPAÑOL was able to identify the dynamics following the fire and the possible cause. In the absence of the result of the investigation opened by the Scientific Police of the National Police, the target is tobacco consumption within the hospital complex and The building’s insulating panels through which the fire spread Devilishly fast.
“It is dangerous to give a specific reason, however It appeared to be a poorly extinguished cigarette, one that is smoked in secret. In hospitals,” as a source from the emergency department, familiar with the details of this fire, explained, which was focused on the balcony of Building No. 5 of the Santa Lucia Hospital, which is the point to which they usually resort. Patients, relatives and healthcare workers, to smoke a cigarette secretly, Although it is prohibited.
In fact, a health source working at the Santa Lucia Hospital confirms the hypothesis that a poorly extinguished cigarette or its ashes, in contact with the garbage found on that balcony or with the materials covering the facade, could have been the cause of this fire: “First information indicates that cigarette butts are the likely cause“…The fire could have started on one of the hospital’s balconies and from there spread quickly along the facade.”
On Wednesday, health workers at Santa Lucia Hospital evacuated patients as quickly as possible during the fire.
This newspaper obtained a video clip that provides a visual description of the heroic reaction of the doctors, nurses, assistants or guards, who did not hesitate for a single moment to risk their lives in order to remove every patient from that block No. 5, where There is a pre-admission unit for intensive care, surgery, maternity, gynecology, gastroenterology, internal medicine and oncology. This evacuation process was carried out at a “tenth grade,” as explained by this source from the emergency team that participated today, Wednesday, in extinguishing the fire.
“Last week they did emergency training at the hospital “The greatest credit that this did not end in tragedy goes to the hospital staff, organisers, security guards and health workers, who evacuated a ward full of patients, in many cases elderly people, and did so in extremely dangerous conditions, with fire and smoke.”
Proof of this is that health workers in Santa Lucia calculated that “in 7 minutes” rooms on five floors were evacuated. “The entire fifth block has been evacuated to blocks three and six.” “There were about a hundred patients.”. The evacuation took place in parallel with the arrival of up to 20 firefighters from the Cartagena City Council, who were guided inside the fifth building by paramedics while other personnel extinguished the flames on the facade.
Firefighters were also deployed from the balcony to attack the flames burning in the facade from several directions. All this, without forgetting the interior areas, which began to record “small sources” of fire “spreading” in the rooms. “On the fourth and fifth floors there were several rooms with fires and high temperatures.”
This is shown in the picture that illustrates this report and shows the hell that the firefighters lived through. “The fire spread along the facade, burning the building’s insulating paint panels. With thermal insulation with a fire-resistant treatment of questionable effectiveness, in light of what was seen,” confirms this relevant source of the emergency service.
A room in Santa Lucia is burning.
The National Police investigation will have the last word, but the hospital’s facade cladding is within the reach of firefighters, as happened with the Campanar building in Valencia. “The entire exterior is paneled and… This substance is what led to the burning and breaking of the windows and affecting the interior of some rooms. “We don’t know what this material is made of, and we don’t know if it’s just an aesthetic solution or thermal insulation.” But what is clear is that the researchers will analyze the fireproof treatment received by those panels that burned like paper.
The fire sergeant at the scene of the fire also indicated, in statements to several television stations, that it was an “ornamental facade” and that the temperature of the fire led to the melting of the anchors and the scattering of pieces of the facade that fell on the street. “I don’t know paint, but May be flammable“This is absolutely nonsense for a hospital complex and another setback for the firefighters to deal with, on top of the ‘gusts of wind’ that were another vector for the spread of the disease.
“This facade has a chimney effect, as in the Valencia Building“Thank God the firefighters were nearby,” said a health worker from San Lucia Hospital, still in shock. This opinion was repeated like a mantra among the employees consulted by this newspaper and who this Wednesday lived a real nightmare. “The fire extended along the exterior facade, through the (paint) panels. I don’t know what that material is made of. The glass and windows exploded. A lot of smoke came in,” one of the doctors summed up.
“Any spark not only burns the garbage that accumulates between the facade and the building, but also the facade panels themselves.“, which burned even though it was made of fire-resistant material, although in the hospital they only say that it is aluminum panels filled with polyethylene,” denounces another member of the Santa Lucia crew. “The façade created the effect of a chimney or chimney.” Health workers are angry with the Ministry of Health because this hospital has already suffered a fire.Fire in 2015. A decade later, another fire occurred, worse than the previous one.
On Wednesday, firefighters arrive at the Santa Lucia Hospital in Cartagena.
On August 10, 2015, one or more poorly extinguished cigarette butts in a maintenance room destroyed part of the facade. at that time, The opposition in the regional parliament called on the regional government to conduct a comprehensive examination of the famous cladding panels. The Ministry of Health confirmed that the hospital’s structure and materials are compliant with regulations.But what happened on Wednesday disproves that.
This newspaper addressed several questions to the press area of the Murcian Health Service without obtaining an answer:
– What material are the insulating paint panels for the hospital facade made of?
-What fire resistant treatment do these irons have?
– When was the last inspection of the hospital’s security procedures conducted?
It is certain that, starting today, the fire specialists of the National Police will ask many questions to those in charge of the hospital center and to the administration of the Minister of Health, Juan José Pedrino, to clarify what happened. Scientific police will analyze the cameras to find out whether the cause of the fire was a hidden, poorly extinguished cigarette, which would have serious legal consequences for the patient, family member, health worker or smoker concerned.
The investigation will also analyze the composition of the interface down to the millimeter, to clarify the role it played in the spread of the fire, and whether it complies with occupational risk regulations, with the aim of clarifying administrative or criminal responsibilities. We must not forget that there have been some cases of smoke poisoning among patients and it cannot be ruled out that with the help of a lawyer, someone will move before the court to demand compensation.
for now, The most sensitive patients were evacuated from Santa Lucia to hospitals in Murcia, such as Morales Mesiguer and La Arixaca.. next to, The emergency service at the Santa María del Roselle Hospital in Cartagena has been reinforced to relieve congestion in the hospital center affected by the fire. In this way, the great problem of panic that did not result in any deaths was solved, thanks to the same heroes who saved us during the coronavirus pandemic: health workers.
This is what one of the 20 firefighters who battled the flames on Wednesday testifies: “I saw some room evacuations, and in the background you could see the flames affecting the corridor and the toilets.“They were very brave.”