Firefighters were called to a significant blaze at a hospital in the Spanish city of Cartagena on 26 November 2025, which led to a partial evacuation of the premises
As reported by Spanish media, the fire at Santa Lucía Hospital reportedly broke out shortly after 7.20am, with emergency services receiving more than 30 calls regarding the incident. Around 20 firefighters from Cartagena were mobilised to tackle the flames.
Believed to have started in Block 5 of the hospital site, Cartagena’s mayor, Noelia Arroyo, said the fire spread “quickly across the building’s façade”, where it reached the third and fifth floors. Blocks 4 and 6 were also reportedly affected by flames.
As reported by Murcia Today, 113 patients across four floors were evacuated as per the hospital’s emergency plan. In a statement to the press, the President of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, praised the “rapid intervention” of hospital staff to evacuate patients from the building as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. Local police officers were also on hand to support in managing access to the hospital.
Spanish News Today reported that the fire was brought under control within 20 to 30 minutes. Fire officials said, “Fortunately, the wind was blowing away from the building. Had it blown inwards, as it did in Valencia, dangerous internal drafts could have spread the fire more rapidly.”
The regional Health Minister, Juan José Pedreño, said: “Thanks to the rapid intervention of the firefighters and the cooperation of the medical staff, the fire at Santa Lucía was controlled swiftly.”
According to Costa Blanca Daily, this is the second fire to have occurred at the hospital in the last ten years. It was reported that a discarded cigarette in a maintenance area led to flames destroying half of the first block.
An investigation into the cause of this latest fire is underway, with concerns shared over the possible fire risk of the outer cladding of the building.