Brazil Club Fire 245 Dead

[skipaway]

Just shockingly sad. RIP to all who perished.

Brazil Club Fire


This seems to be a common cause of Club fires....when will they learn?

The band that was onstage began to use flares and, suddenly, they stopped the show and pointed them upward. At that point the ceiling caught fire. It was really weak but in a matter of seconds it spread,"

[beepbeep]

The oficial death toll has been updated: 232 dead, 131 injured.
The identification of the bodies started a while ago.

I live in this state, and Santa Maria is not that far away form the city capital, where I live.

Everyone is in absolute shock.
Santa Maria is an University city, so a lot of kids form the rest of the state go there to study.
The result is that everyone knows someone that knows someone or has family there.
It becomes even more personal. A friend of mine has 2 cousins that were on that party and the family feels the worst has happened to them.
I'm still absolutely numb.

There are many rumors: that security had the doors briefly closed, so people wouldn't leave without paying, because they thought it was something minor.
There were no emergency exits, just the front door, unsignalized. People rushed to the bathrooms, thinking they were the emergency exits. All of those people died of asphixiation. Firemen broke the wall from the outside, trying to get people out.
The fire started after the band used some pyrotchnics on the stage, that hit the highly flammable acoustic protecction. The place, which had no windos, was filled with black, thick smoke within 2 or 3 minutes.

[sk8er1964]

(((beepbeep))) (((your people)))

[Buzz]

My heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families. The death toll is just shocking. ((((beepbeep)))

[Cachoo]

That is so sad and horrific.

[Vash01]

Just saw this on CNN. What a horrible tragedy! My heart goes out to the victims and their families.

[Wyliefan]

How horrible!

[MikiAndoFan#1]

How sad.

[duane]

There were no emergency exits, just the front door, unsignalized.

Wow, I thought emergency exits were required for all clubs. Perhaps not in Brazil?

[beepbeep]

I should report that my friends cousins were found, alive, in separate hospitals. I don't know much more than that.

Up to now, about 180 have been identified.
More people are expected to to become/sick die in the next few days, as effects of breathing smoke in those that seemed fine at that moment take 24 to 48h to take their toll.

[Cachoo]

I wish your friends--all of the victims who made it out alive---a speedy recovery. I'm so sad for all of those families who lost loved ones.

[beepbeep]

Wow, I thought emergency exits were required for all clubs. Perhaps not in Brazil?

It depends on the place. A friend of mine has a pub with just the front door. Fiscalization came in when he was about to open and told him where to put the fire extinguishers, lights to mark the way out and where him and his staff should be trained to deal with fires. He did what he was told, and it was good to go.

But that was a place for 2000 people!! I don't think they called in someone to really check for safety.It's a chain of errors. Law states the minimum for security, and that is just what most nightclub owners do. They'll do just enough to be legal, regardless if it would be enough for the real safety to people when the place is packed. And just what the law states is what some auditors look for. Add a bit of corruption and there you go.

The place's permit to function (I don't know if this is how it's said) from the city's fire department was expired, but that verification came a bit too late...

[Rex]

It's been on CNN most of the afternoon. How utterly horrible. Those poor people.

[susan6]

But that was a place for 2000 people!! I don't think they called in someone to really check for safety.It's a chain of errors. Law states the minimum for security, and that is just what most nightclub owners do. They'll do just enough to be legal, regardless if it would be enough for the real safety to people when the place is packed. And just what the law states is what some auditors look for. Add a bit of corruption and there you go.

The place's permit to function (I don't know if this is how it's said) from the city's fire department was expired, but that verification came a bit too late...

Safety clearly wasn't in the owners' minds, considering that the max capacity of the club was apparently around 1000 and they had 2000 people in there.

[skatesindreams]

I wish your friends--all of the victims who made it out alive---a speedy recovery. I'm so sad for all of those families who lost loved ones.

As do I!

[Sasha'sSpins]

Just horrifying. My thoughts go out to the victims, their loved ones and the people of Brazil.

[Anita18]

Wow, I thought emergency exits were required for all clubs. Perhaps not in Brazil?

This is why fire codes and maximum capacity were invented. I really wish people would take those more seriously.

Also, band members should NOT be in charge of pyrotechnics! Jesus Christ.

I should report that my friends cousins were found, alive, in separate hospitals. I don't know much more than that.

Up to now, about 180 have been identified.
More people are expected to to become/sick die in the next few days, as effects of breathing smoke in those that seemed fine at that moment take 24 to 48h to take their toll.

Thank God your friend's cousins are safe! to the hundreds (!!!!) who perished. That number of people is just mind-boggling.

[l'etoile]

How horrible My prayers will be with them.

[aliceanne]

I don't understand the part about the club closing the doors to prevent people from leaving without paying. Don't people pay on the way in? Also in the pictures I saw the club looked so packed people couldn't even move about freely. Don't they have occupancy limits?

[beepbeep]

I don't understand the part about the club closing the doors to prevent people from leaving without paying. Don't people pay on the way in? Also in the pictures I saw the club looked so packed people couldn't even move about freely. Don't they have occupancy limits?

Admission fee on the way in, then you pay what you drank/ate (it gets registerd in a card when you order) on the way out. There's an specific (absurdly high) fee to pay if you lose the card.

This is an info graph of the place. It's in Portuguese, but you can get the picture.