Indoor Fireworks Blamed for Goa Nightclub Blaze That Killed 25: Report
Police apprehended four staff members in connection with the fire and have issued arrest warrants for the club’s two owners.
A fire that swept through a popular nightclub in the coastal region of Goa, India has killed at least 25 people, most of them staff members who became trapped in an underground kitchen where they had sought refuge from the flames, CNN reports.
The tragic blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane, which broke out in Arpora village around midnight Saturday, appears to have been ignited by “indoor fireworks,” according to Pramod Sawant, the state’s chief minister. Witnesses described a “jam-packed” dancefloor when the fire started.
The situation reportedly worsened when flames reached flammable materials, setting off an explosion that accelerated the fire’s spread through the furniture. The venue had only two exits, Sawant said, and panicked patrons rushed toward them as smoke filled the building. A group unable to escape descended to the underground kitchen, where 23 of 25 people died from smoke inhalation.
20 of the dead were employees and five were tourists, according to the North Goa district administration. Vishwajit Rane, the state’s health minister, said medical teams worked through the night treating victims and six people remained hospitalized at Goa Medical College on Sunday.
“Due to the massive levels of smoke entering the kitchen, 23 of the 25 people in that area died of suffocation,” he noted.
A Kazakh belly dancer, Kristina, was performing when the blaze began. She narrowly escaped, she says, with the help of a quick-witted crew member.
“The fire started during my performance because of a short circuit,” she told India Today. “I was shocked. The music suddenly stopped, and I didn’t understand what happened. I started looking for the exit.”
Police arrested four staff members in connection with the fire, according to Director General of Goa Police Alok Kumar. Arrest warrants have also been issued for the club’s two owners.
Sawant has now ordered an inquiry into whether or not fire safety standards and building codes were followed at Birch by Romeo Lane, noting that the club’s owners did not have permission to construct the building. A demolition notice had been issued for the property but it was ultimately stayed by officials, he said.
Nitin Raiker, director of the state’s Fire and Emergency Services, told News18 that the venue lacked the required No Objection Certificate and failed to comply with fire regulations.
“In half an hour we extinguished the fire,” Raiker said. “NOC was not given, fire norms were not followed by the club.”
