A morning repair job turned dangerous in Cabezo de Torres when an explosion ripped through the basement of a flower shop, injuring one worker and blowing out the shopfront glass.
What happened this morning in Cabezo de Torres
Residents on Calle Carmen got quite a fright just after 9.30am on Saturday when a loud blast came from the basement of Floristería Mari. The worker, who had been fixing a machine downstairs, was hurt in the incident. He stayed conscious, walked out under his own steam and headed straight to a medical centre without waiting for an ambulance. Broken glass ended up scattered across the pavement outside the shop, which sits on the ground floor of a three-storey building in the middle of the Murcia pedanía.
How crews responded to the blast and fire
09:36
🔴 1 persona herida tras la explosión e incendio en un local comercial de Cabezo de Torres.
Hasta 14 efectivos y 3 vehículos han sido movilizados desde el parque de Espinardo.
@MurciaPolicia Guardia Civil y sanitarios #061murcia en el lugar https://t.co/8oDRsZQjNT
— Bomberos Murcia (@BomberosMurcia) October 24, 2026
Bomberos Murcia sent up to 14 firefighters and three vehicles from the Espinardo station once the call came in. Local police, Guardia Civil officers and 061 medical teams also turned up at the scene. Crews dealt with the fire that started after the explosion while making sure the area stayed safe. Official updates from the fire service confirmed the mobilisation but had not yet posted a follow-up confirming the fire was fully out by early afternoon.
Investigators are still working out exactly what triggered the blast, but early indications point to a leak from refrigeration equipment in the basement. Flower shops often keep cut stems in specialised coolers, and some of these systems use ammonia as a refrigerant. In a confined space, a leak of that gas can form a flammable mixture; the worker is thought to have been using a blowtorch on the machine when the spark or flame set it off. That combination matches the damage reported—shattered shopfront windows and a fire that followed the explosion, and explains why Guardia Civil are treating it as a workplace accident while they examine the equipment.
What investigators think caused it
Sources quoted by local media say the machine may have had an ammonia leak; the worker is thought to have ignited it when he lit a blowtorch. Guardia Civil are leading the investigation. Because the man was at work at the time, the case will also be reported to the Instituto de Seguridad y Salud Laboral de Murcia. No other injuries have been mentioned.
This kind of workplace incident is not uncommon across Spain. Recent Euro Weekly News coverage has included Murcia emergency teams rescuing two hikers within five minutes of each other and a Madrid worker who suffered serious hand injuries after becoming trapped in industrial machinery. Gas-related problems have also made headlines, such as the Mijas gas leak that forced 32 homes to be evacuated.