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The explosion that tore through Casa Javi bar in Lo Pagán last week, injuring around 20 people, may not have been accidental. Investigators from the Guardia Civil now suspect the blast was deliberately caused, after finding a butane canister at the site with its rubber tube intentionally cut.

 

The elite Fire Investigation Team (ESIN), a unit within the Civil Guard’s Forensic Service, examined the bar following the fire and confirmed that the trajectory of the blast originated inside the premises. According to sources close to the investigation, the cut in the rubber tube was too precise to have been accidental, leading authorities to treat the case as possible arson.

 

Two women remain in a serious condition at the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital in Murcia. One is the manager of Casa Javi, a foreign national who had recently converted the space into a tea shop. She suffered extensive burns and remains in the hospital’s Burns Unit. The other victim, a passer-by and customer at the nearby street market, was rushed to intensive care following emergency surgery for head injuries.

 

The manager was reportedly alone in the premises at the time of the explosion, which occurred just before midday while the bar was closed. According to investigators, the bar had previously been sanctioned for various disturbances, and local residents had raised concerns about its activity. Casa Javi had also been the site of a previous fire about a year previously.

 

Police are particularly interested in the woman’s whereabouts the night before the incident. Local officers encountered her on the beach, apparently disoriented and under the influence of certain substances. Although no offence was committed, her behaviour raised flags among officers familiar with her criminal history.

 

She remains unconscious, and investigators are waiting to question her when her condition improves. Her testimony is considered crucial to determining whether the explosion was the result of negligence, a targeted act or potentially a broader criminal matter.

 

Authorities have confiscated the gas cylinder for forensic analysis, while the Town Council and emergency services continue supporting those affected. Meanwhile, concerns remain high in Lo Pagán, where the community is still reeling from the blast and the chaos it caused in the heart of the town.

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de San Pedro del Pinatar