More than 170 people died last year in house fires in Spain
The main profile is that of a person over 65 years of age, most of who died from smoke inhalation caused by fires originating from electrical panels, heaters or cigarettes
Two men, one in A Coruña and the other in the Madrid town of Villaverde, have died in fires in the buildings where they lived in just 24 hours this week, and a third is hospitalised in critical condition in A Coruña. They are the latest victims of the more than 30,000 fires in buildings that occur every year in Spain and that in 2024 cost the lives of 172 people. According to the report prepared by the Mapfre foundation and the professional association of firefighters, those who died in homes account for three quarters of all the deaths caused by fires and explosions in the country, which last year reached 234.
The profile of the majority of victims of fires in the home shows that almost half of the deaths caused by the almost 19,500 reported fires in homes were of people aged 65 and over, the age group most vulnerable to these accidents: two thirds were men.
The living room continues to be the most dangerous space, with 35% of fatalities, followed by the kitchen (27.3%) and the bedroom (25.5%): up to a third of fatalities occur on the ground floor, followed by the first floor. Most deaths in the home occur at night, between 8pm and 8am
Thursday is the most problematic day and the coldest months, December and February, the most critical, with 31 and 22 deaths respectively. The risk of dying in a fire is almost five times higher among those who live alone than among those who share a dwelling.
The causes
The main cause of death, as in previous years, is poisoning by smoke or toxic gases, which accounts for seven out of ten deaths. It is followed by burns, which accounts for a quarter of deaths and, to a lesser extent, trauma (3.4%) or heart conditions (1.7%).
The main cause of these fatal fires is faults in the electrical system (short circuits or overloads), which is where 42% of all fatal accidents start. This is followed by heat-producing appliances or systems, with cookers and fireplaces leading the way, which account for one in five accidents. In third place, fires related to smoking, which cause one in seven fatalities, generally caused by carelessness with cigarettes on the sofa or in bed.
Basic precautions
The experts who drafted the report propose some guidelines to try to reduce the risk of fire in Spanish homes. They recommend avoiding electrical overloads, especially due to the excess of connected devices in homes, and extreme caution with wood-burning cookers, braziers and materials that facilitate the spread of fire. It is also important to check the use of furniture, lighting and combustible elements on balconies and terraces.
Similarly, they stress the need for regular checks of electrical installations and for technical inspections related to fire protection in buildings to include passive protection analysis. The experts also highlighted as one of the most effective elements to protect homes the smoke detector, a simple but essential device that can alert occupants in time and save lives.
