200+ dead in Brazilian nightclub fire

krudler

Awful stuff, big fire broke out in a club and over 240 reckoned dead:

http://news.sky.com/story/1043501/brazil-nightclub-fire-more-than-240-dead

Police say 245 people have died in a fire which swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil.

Around 200 others were injured after the blaze broke out at the Kiss club in the city of Santa Maria while a band was performing.

Fire chief Guido de Melo said there was panic after the fire started and many revellers were trampled.

He said the main cause of death was asphyxiation.

galwayrush

Horrific.:eek:

That's even more shocking wth the death toll, injury numbers considering the club only held 500.

Micky Dolenz

Worst nightmare right there. I can't even began to think how panicked people must have been. RIP.

bnt

From the BBC report, it sounds as if there were no fire exits, just the single entrance/exit. Fire crews were on the scene quickly, and had to break through a wall to get people out.

xzanti

Unthinkable

RIP

FouxDaFaFa

bnt wrote: »

From the BBC report, it sounds as if there were no fire exits, just the single entrance/exit. Fire crews were on the scene quickly, and had to break through a wall to get people out.

Sounds like what happened in Germany at Love Parade. There was only one door acting as entrance and exit.

One of the worst ways to go I can think of. Horrible.

My name is URL

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

Sounds like what happened in Germany at Love Parade. There was only one door acting as entrance and exit.

One of the worst ways to go I can think of. Horrible.

Or the Rhode Island Station nightclub fire. There's a video of that one on YouTube... harrowing stuff.

I can't imagine the fear that people felt.. and it happens so quickly too. I know it sounds a bit namby pamby, but you should always familiarise yourself with fire-exits in nightclubs etc. If something bad happens you don't have much time to react.

WindSock

My name is URL wrote: »

Or the Rhode Island Station nightclub fire. There's a video of that one on YouTube... harrowing stuff.

I can't imagine the fear that people felt.. and it happens so quickly too. I know it sounds a bit namby pamby, but you should always familiarise yourself with fire-exits in nightclubs etc. If something bad happens you don't have much time to react.

True, provided they're not blocked though...

FouxDaFaFa

My name is URL wrote: »

I know it sounds a bit namby pamby, but you should always familiarise yourself with fire-exits in nightclubs etc. If something bad happens you don't have much time to react.

No, it's good advice. I'm reading the reddit thread about this and they're saying a lot of people died because they saw people entering the bathrooms to try to escape the fire and mistook them for exits. Obviously, once in the bathroom, there was a crowd behind them and they couldn't get out.

reddit post from "IAmARedditorAMAA"
It's happening on the city where i live, it's a pretty small city (300k population) this is horrible, the club didn't have the structure for emergencies, just one small door for entrance/exit, lots of people got stuck inside the bathrooms, so far there are 140 confirmed deceased people and they didn't even get to the bathrooms where most of the dead people are, truly a tragedy
@Edit: The city doesn't even have enough Hospitals to take care of something like this, they are actually piling up the bodies on trucks and taking them to be identified in the town's Sports Center, this is horrible.

GalwayGuy2

Santa Maria

Thought it said Santa Muerte for a second. :S

Micky Dolenz

My name is URL wrote: »

Or the Rhode Island Station nightclub fire. There's a video of that one on YouTube... harrowing stuff.

I can't imagine the fear that people felt.. and it happens so quickly too. I know it sounds a bit namby pamby, but you should always familiarise yourself with fire-exits in nightclubs etc. If something bad happens you don't have much time to react.

A mate of mine is a fire fighter and always clocks the exits if in a new place. We have been on stag nights away and he will always walk from his hotel room to the nearest exit and count the steps. If the poo hits the fan it is going to get real dark and smoky very quickly.

A few of the lads rib him about it but he has seen the consequences of not being able to find your way out.

L.Jenkins

Pippa Middleton's Arse wrote: »

A mate of mine is a fire fighter and always clocks the exits if in a new place. We have been on stag nights away and he will always walk from his hotel room to the nearest exit and count the steps. If the poo hits the fan it is going to get real dark and smoky very quickly.

A few of the lads rib him about it but he has seen the consequences of not being able to find your way out.

I can imagine that he understands how easy it is to become disorientated in a smoke filled room. Such a traggic incident though.

Lollipops23

God that sounds horrific, the panic must have been immense.

How on earth did the band think it was ok to set off fireworks indoors? Jesus....

RIP to those who didn't make it out.

admiralofthefleet

tragedies like this always upset me as my mother was meant to be in the stardust the night of the fire but was sick after having me 11 days previous

RIP

KilOit

Awful tragedy, Sounds like the station nightclub fire years back. can't even imagine what those people went through on their last moments.
Heard from reports people rushed to the toilet thinking it was an exit, so i'd say they kept piling in and had no where else to go.
Since the i saw the station nightclub fire video i always locate the fire exits in clubs, looks like this place was a tomb with only 1 door though.

L.Jenkins

Would most likely bring back memories of the valentines day tragedy back in the 80s in Dublin.

Calibos

It always seem like these are caused by some uninformed idiot setting up pyrotechnics. Does no one watch the fecking news. Pyrotechnics are fine for outdoors gigs, not in a feckin nightclub with 12" ceilings made of flammable ceiling tiles

Duiske

Pippa Middleton's Arse wrote: »

Worst nightmare right there. I can't even began to think how panicked people must have been. RIP.

Every time I hear of something like this it reminds me of the Stardust fire in Artane. 32nd anniversary of Stardust in 3 weeks time, but for those who were there and the families of the victims, it must still seem like last year. I don't think there are words that truly describe the horror of being caught up in something like that.

steddyeddy

I have a fondess for the Brazillian people. I have found them to be extremely friendly people and although there is a lot of rich areas in Brazil a large proportion of the society are very poor. I cant help thinking that a night club with no fire escapes is located in a poor area. RIP to the people who died this way. I hope that if regulations where found to be broken that people are brought to justice because of it.

ElleEm

This is after frightening the life out of me. I have a terrible sense of direction and frequently get "lost" in hotels and pubs and stuff. I will definitely make a conscious effort to notice fire exits next time I'm out.

Such a tragedy.

April O Neill

Terrible.

I often wonder, when in packed pubs or clubs, what would it be like if a fire broke out. Absolute panic, I would think.

RIP.

Pippa Middleton's Arse wrote: »

Worst nightmare right there. I can't even began to think how panicked people must have been. RIP.

Yeah, and it's that juxtaposition between people enjoying themselves, and then in a moment that turns to horror, nightmarish.

krudler

You always hear about walking calmy to fire exits, I doubt that ever happens, panic would just break out

lockon...

I think it's good to watch these videos, it will make you respect fire safety

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnm0f3GdaQk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4xaWMKBlw4

Bacchus

Well here's a harrowing image of the loss of life from this fire...

BBC wrote:

A local gym has been turned into a makeshift morgue and is being called 'The Room of Despair'.

That is where a few hours ago, the mobile phones of the victims could be heard ringing with no-one to answer them, and where, later on, family members identified their loved ones.

RIP, what an awful way to go and devastating for the families.

Surprised to see so little coverage of it on the RTE website. Even a story about a taxi hijacking in Limerick is higher up in the news stories.

davet82

its been reported that the bouncers wouldn't let people out until they paid their tabs...

i know they have issued warrents for the owners of the club but why the lead singer of the band? (a member of the band died too)

Claims people were stopped from leaving until they had paid bar tabs

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269425/Fire-KISS-help-Woman-trapped-inside-Brazil-nightclub-posts-desperate-plea-help-Facebook-dying-sister.html#ixzz2JHX6Mgws

humanji

davet82 wrote: »

its been reported that the bouncers wouldn't let people out until they paid their tabs...

i know they have issued warrents for the owners of the club but why the lead singer of the band? (a member of the band died too)

Was it not the lead singer who started the fire with a flare? I thought I read that somewhere.

LittleBook

davet82 wrote: »

i know they have issued warrents for the owners of the club but why the lead singer of the band? (a member of the band died too)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-21229327

Witnesses have said that one member of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, which appeared at the club in the early hours of Sunday morning, lit pyrotechnics during the performance.

Sparks apparently hit the soundproofing material on the ceiling which triggered the blaze, which quickly got out of control.

I'm claustrophobic and as a result cannot settle somewhere unless I know how to get out. But EVERYone should know how to get out of a venue in case of an emergency, particularly a nightclub which is less likely to have windows.

Bacchus

humanji wrote: »

Was it not the lead singer who started the fire with a flare? I thought I read that somewhere.

He set off the flare yeah but it sounds like the real problem was the toxic flammable tiles on the ceiling. They caused the fire to spread quickly and created the smoke that killed most people. Apparently the clubs fire safety certs expired last year and were due for renewal. There are reports that the fire extinguisher handed to a band member when the fire first started, did not work. The owners have a lot to answer for here.

seamus

krudler wrote: »

You always hear about walking calmy to fire exits, I doubt that ever happens, panic would just break out

Nightclubs and even pubs are typically dark and jammed with drunk people. If you think about the monumentally inconsiderate assholes you usually find pushing their way through the crowd in a busy club, then imagine that everyone is one of these assholes and they're all slightly drunk and panicking for their lives; Uncontrollable chaos.

In other scenarios where it's bright and people are sober, it's much easier to maintain calm and evacuate.

It's these kinds of incidents we should be using as a reminder to audit our fire regulations and see what can be improved. At the very least, no club should be allowed to operate without a valid certificate of approval from a yearly inspection, with jail time for failing to comply.

davet82

seamus wrote: »

Nightclubs and even pubs are typically dark and jammed with drunk people. If you think about the monumentally inconsiderate assholes you usually find pushing their way through the crowd in a busy club, then imagine that everyone is one of these assholes and they're all slightly drunk and panicking for their lives; Uncontrollable chaos.

In other scenarios where it's bright and people are sober, it's much easier to maintain calm and evacuate.

most died in the toilets as they mistook the signs for exits so i think that emphasises your post

LittleBook

My name is URL wrote: »

Or the Rhode Island Station nightclub fire. There's a video of that one on YouTube... harrowing stuff.

I can't imagine the fear that people felt.. and it happens so quickly too. I know it sounds a bit namby pamby, but you should always familiarise yourself with fire-exits in nightclubs etc. If something bad happens you don't have much time to react.

Oh my god, the similarities are shocking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The Station nightclub fire, Rhode Island

The fire started just seconds into headlining band Great White's opening song, "Desert Moon," when pyrotechnics set off by the band's tour manager, Daniel Biechele, ignited flammable acoustic foam on both sides of the drummer's alcove at the back of the stage.

The flames were at first thought to be part of the act; only as the fire reached the ceiling and smoke began to billow did people realize it was uncontrolled. Twenty seconds after the pyrotechnics ended, the band stopped playing and lead singer Jack Russell calmly remarked into the microphone, "Wow... this ain't good." In less than a minute, the entire stage was engulfed in flames, with most of the band members and entourage fleeing for the west exit by the stage.

... although there were four possible exits, most people naturally headed for the front door through which they had entered. The ensuing stampede led to a crush in the narrow hallway leading to that exit, quickly blocking the exit completely and resulting in numerous deaths and injuries among the patrons and staff. 462 people were[1] in attendance, even though the club's official licensed capacity was 404. 100 lost their lives, and about half were injured, either from burns, smoke inhalation, or trampling.

Lollipops23

davet82 wrote: »

most died in the toilets as they mistook the signs for exits so i think that emphasises your post

I think I remember seeing pics of people at the Stardust trying to bust out the windows of the bathrooms, might have been a similar incidence here?

I remember doing a pub crawl on Baggot St/Merrion Row at Xmas a few years back, and thinking that some of the pubs were so packed, it would take nothing to turn it into chaos. Even this weekend, some places were so bloody packed tight that any danger at all would result in a stampede.

Can't imagine the last moments of those poor people trying to escape.

666irishguy

Instantly made me think of the line "some stupid with a flare gun" from Smoke on the Water written nearly 50 years ago. This kind of stupidity has been replayed dozens of times with tragic events following. Unbelievable that somebody would be stupid enough to use what I must assume to be a parachute flare inside. Probably didn't know it wont explode until it's a few hundred feet off the ground and it just lodged in the foam tiles in the ceiling. If hes still alive he is in a world of trouble.

Cork boy 55

lockon... wrote: »

I think it's good to watch these videos, it will make you respect fire safety

snip (cut out youtube links)

People involved in business and crowd control need to watch those videos especially the second one
Looks like the same situation here in Brazil as in
station club in Rhode island 2003
and the lame horse club in Perm Russia 2010 (videos)
and many more


Pyrotechnic display
+
flammable ceiling material
+
too many people
+
too few exits
=
Mass death

All three events largely over in a matter of a few minutes
All three events completely unnecessary
No accidents here just corruption by management.



This clip contains disturbing images. This clip should be preserved for lessons learned in fire prevention, inspection, code enforcement, and fire behavior. I hope this clip provides information that will save lives in the future.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire

The Station nightclub fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people. The fire began at 11:07 PM EST, on Thursday, February 20, 2003, at The Station, a glam metal and rock n roll themed nightclub located at 211 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jae1fglq-9g

CruelCoin

galwayrush wrote: »

Horrific.:eek:

That's even more shocking wth the death toll, injury numbers considering the club only held 500.

More like 1000.

Never seen a pub/club stick with the regulations on max capacity.

Some bad mojo though.

FouxDaFaFa

I've been wondering about the drinks thing. If I understand correctly, you go in and order your drinks throughout the night without paying and then settle at the end of the night. Is this common in Brazil? I'm guessing the logic is that you'll spend more than you realise because you're not actually handing over any money.

Horrible to think this played a part in delaying people trying to escape.

Bacchus

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

I've been wondering about the drinks thing. If I understand correctly, you go in and order your drinks throughout the night without paying and then settle at the end of the night. Is this common in Brazil? I'm guessing the logic is that you'll spend more than you realise because you're not actually handing over any money.

I've heard of this system before from many different people & cities. I've never experienced it first hand but I think the idea is two fold...
1. Quicker turn over at the bar as there is no messing around with cash, having to give customers change.
2. As you said, people are more likely to spend more if they're not handing over the cash till the end of the night.

It's not that terrible an idea though and I don't think it should be used as a reason for the tragedy. Sure there are pubs here in Ireland that do similar things e.g. Soho in Cork has taps at the tables that charge to your credit/debit card when you're done. Restaurants too, put your drinks on the bill that you only pay for when leaving.

What was wrong in this incident was how slow security were to react to the fire/smoke and let people out.

April O Neill

seamus wrote: »

Nightclubs and even pubs are typically dark and jammed with drunk people. If you think about the monumentally inconsiderate assholes you usually find pushing their way through the crowd in a busy club, then imagine that everyone is one of these assholes and they're all slightly drunk and panicking for their lives; Uncontrollable chaos.

In other scenarios where it's bright and people are sober, it's much easier to maintain calm and evacuate.

It's these kinds of incidents we should be using as a reminder to audit our fire regulations and see what can be improved. At the very least, no club should be allowed to operate without a valid certificate of approval from a yearly inspection, with jail time for failing to comply.

And use of pyrotechnics need to be strictly controlled and assessed.