Police Say at Least 90 People Have Died in a Nightclub Fire in Southern Brazil

Police Say at Least 90 People Have Died in a Nightclub Fire in Southern Brazil

bigstory.ap.org

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A fire in a nightclub in southern Brazil killed at least 90 people early Sunday, police and firefighters said.

Sandro Meinerz, spokesman for the police in the city of Santa Maria, told local media that the fire broke out at the Kiss club while a band was performing. He said at least 200 people were injured.

The blaze reportedly began when a performing band started a fireworks display. Acoustic insulation caught fire, and thick smoke filled the club, causing many to die.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, officials said. The total number of victims is still unclear and there may be hundreds injured, Civil Police and regional government spokesman Marcelo Arigoni told Radio Gaucha. The local newspaper, Diario de Santa Maria, reported there could be 180 dead.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Poor people they come to make some fun at nightclub, look like casualties will be more.

Smoke poisoning probably is a major cause of this tragedy.

Two thousand people were in the nightclub when the fire started, police pointed out, and emergency workers are still counting the dead.

The fire happened in the city center, with the area remaining isolated.

Looks like the numbers are climbing quickly. Another case of pyrotechnics being used indoors


www.rte.ie...

Was the fire started by an assault weapon and were there any schools nearby?

reply to post by MariaLida


I am not familiar with Brazilian law, but it seems to me that the fireworks that were let off, cannot have been of the right type for indoor use if they managed to set fire to something. Indoor fireworks are so safe, you can run your hand over the sparks and they wont burn your hand.

They WILL ignite highly flammable vapour, say from spilt spirits like vodka or some such, or flammable gas, but they dont tend to be capable of setting fire to things that a regular firework would. There is also the matter of the saftey of the accoustic insulation to think about. I would have thought that a club which has to cater for thousands of people in a night, would have to be responsible for the saftey of those people. One also would assume, that in an effort to take care of that feature, the buildings fireproofing would have to be up to the job of preventing an incident like this.

so horrible

RIP

reply to post by cahlmac


BBC say death toll in Brazil nightclub fire rises to 180 ..

At least 180 people have died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in southern Brazil, police say. They say the fire began when a band on stage started a fireworks display at the Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul state. Reports say there was only one exit and panic spread as people tried to get out. Many victims reportedly died from inhaling toxic fumes.

www.bbc.co.uk...

More than 200 people have died and at least 100 others injured in a fire at a nightclub in Brazil. Local media say there were as many as 2,000 people in the club when the blaze began following a pyrotechnics show.
Police said that the victims had died from smoke inhalation or been trampled to death as terrified revellers ran for their lives as the flames engulfed the club. A video posted on Facebook shows paramedics treating those injured outside the club while surrounded by several bodies.

www.mirror.co.uk...

reply to post by TrueBrit


Sounds similar to what happened in the station nightclub in Rhode Island.
I think it was the soundproofing that caught fire and spread rapidly.

Take into account also, a packed nightclub, drink, mass panic and a stampede for the doors.
All of these add up to a total disaster.

I think the reports of how quickly the fire spread show that fire safety might not have been a top priority here so who knows how many working fire exits there may have been on the premises.

If the saftey of the customers was enough of a priority to the people who run the club, then this would not have happened. It is virtually impossible for the circumstances which prevailed in Brazil, to have caused a fire and the deaths of so many merry makers, unless either a) the owners failed to comply with reasonable saftey regulations, or b) the saftey regulations, are not stringent enough in Brazil to prevent this sort of horror from unfolding.

I am hearing on the BBC right now that people were trying to knock a hole in a wall to escape the fire and smoke. Near as many people appear to have died from being trampled under foot, as died from smoke inhalation. So, there were not enough fire escape exits, there was not adequate fireproofing. This sounds like a massive failiure. If the regulations in Brazil have been broken, then I can see the owners of the club getting the book thrown at them. If the regulations were followed, then they are too damned weak and need beefing up.

Terribly sad.

You would think any nightclub after the Station Nightclub fire would be far more aware of the potential dangers of indoor pyrotechnics and the utter insanity of not having adequate fire doors.

Police up death toll to 245 in Brazil club fire - AP

bigstory.ap.org...

A fire at the nightclub Kiss in the center of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, left dead and wounded in the early hours of Sunday. According to the fire department, at least 245 bodies were removed from the nightclub. There are 48 injured in hospital, according Maj. Bassanelo, Military Brigade. At the time of the tragedy, there were between 300 and 400 people on site, attending a college party.

SANTA MARIA — Um incêndio na boate Kiss, no Centro de Santa Maria, no Rio Grande do Sul, deixou mortos e feridos na madrugada deste domingo. Segundo o Corpo de Bombeiros, ao menos 245 corpos foram retirados da boate. Há 48 feridos hospitalizados, segundo o major Bassanelo, da Brigada Militar. No momento da tragédia, havia entre 300 e 400 pessoas no local, participando de uma festa universitária

oglobo.globo.com...


Firefighters and civilians battle to rescue people from the nightclub fire

Brazil really ought to shut down all night clubs. They aren't really necessary. They obviously kill people in large numbers.

reply to post by butcherguy


I see what you did there.


You are terrible for doing it.

Heres some more footage, this is of a group of people that seem to be either dead or collapsed. There is one guy near the end with his leg up, bent. Can dead people keep a leg up?



The doctor seems to be checking for life

This is horrible. People need the state to protect them.

BAN FIRE!

So tragic and sad. I remember the station house fire in Rhode Island where so many people lost their lives or were disfigured for life. My nephew was supposed to be at that club that night. Thank God he never made it there.

My heart goes out these people and their families.

Originally posted by cybro
Was the fire started by an assault weapon and were there any schools nearby?

No, a band was playing there and let of some sort of firework that set fire to the ceiling. Where did you get the assault weapon and schools nearby?

From BBC news:

At least 230 people have died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in a university city in southern Brazil, police and officials say. Local media say the fire began when a band let off fireworks at the Kiss club in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. Many victims reportedly inhaled toxic fumes or were crushed as panicking clubbers tried to escape. Bereaved families have gathered at the scene where the fire is out and bodies are being removed.

Originally posted by TrueBrit
reply to post by butcherguy

 

I see what you did there.


You are terrible for doing it.

The Brazilian government is terrible for permitting such dangerous places to exist. They promote alcoholism and the transmission of STD's.
Seems like one killed hundreds in this case. All in the name of 'fun'? Is it worth it?

Brazil night club fire kills 232 in Santa Maria

27 January 2013 Last updated at 18:03 GMT

The death toll, which had earlier been put at 245, was revised down by fire officials. Emergency services said a further 117 people were being treated in hospital.

At least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in a university city in southern Brazil, police and officials say.

A firefighter told BBC News he had never seen such a tragedy in his life, with the victims "so young".

"These people are so young… There were many bodies piled up in various parts of the place. Some were in the toilet. They died of asphyxiation."

www.bbc.co.uk...