Regional health authorities in Murcia will carry out a detailed review of the facade at Hospital Santa Lucía in Cartagena following a fire on 26 November that damaged its cladding and led to the evacuation of patients and staff from Block 5. It was the second similar incident at the hospital in ten years. A preliminary report commissioned by the regional Health Department has recommended strengthening fire‑safety measures on the building’s exterior.

The report notes that the facade is built using aluminium sheets filled with polyethylene, similar to panels used in a Valencia residential block fire in 2024. Although the hospital, opened in 2011, complies with the NBE‑CPI‑96 fire protection standard, experts from the CSIC have previously warned that this type of material is not fire‑resistant.

A new technical commission, to be formed in the coming days, will examine how to reinforce safety while the hospital remains fully operational. It will include architects and engineers from the Health Department, the hospital itself, and the regional health service. Officials say any action will take into account construction challenges as well as the need to keep the complex functioning.

The regional government has also announced stricter controls on smoking around hospital buildings, after both fires at Santa Lucía were linked to discarded cigarettes. Meanwhile, questions remain about the broader review of public buildings ordered after the Valencia fire, with no update yet on whether other regional facilities use similar cladding.