Fundación Mapfre and the Asociación Profesional de Técnicos de Bomberos (APTB) presented the report on 26 October 2026 in Madrid the report “Víctimas de incendios en España 2025” According to the report, Spain a total of 226 people died in fires or explosions in 2025. This represents a decrease of 3.4 per cent compared with 2024. According to the report, the analysis is based on data from forensic medicine and other official bodies.
Most deaths occurred in people’s own homes: 165 people, or 73 per cent of all victims, died in residential buildings. The study identifies smoke and gas poisoning as the most common immediate cause of death; 158 people died from it. Burns were the second most common cause, accounting for 46 deaths. Where the cause of the fire could be established, technical and electrical causes predominated, followed by the improper use of heat sources and fire.
The report identifies clearly defined risk groups. People over 64 account for almost half of those who died in homes, at 48.5 per cent. Men are significantly over-represented in the overall figures, making up almost 70 per cent of the fatalities. Household circumstances are a particularly important factor: according to the report, people living alone are at significantly greater risk of dying in a fire. The analysis puts the relative risk of living alone at many times higher, because help may be unavailable at a critical moment and the alarm may be raised late.
The authors link their findings to specific recommendations. These include consistently installing and maintaining smoke alarms in homes, targeted prevention campaigns for older people and those living alone, and guidance on the safe use of electrical appliances and heating sources. APTB and Fundación Mapfre also recommend local programmes to reach particularly affected areas and groups through home visits, technical checks and community outreach.
The publication thus confirms a second consecutive annual decline in the death toll, but stresses that people remain highly vulnerable in the home. The institutions do not infer from the data presented that the trend will continue in the coming years; the proposed measures are explicitly aimed at prevention and reducing risks in the existing housing stock. To assess trends, the authors point to the next reporting period and ongoing data collection supported by the authorities.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).