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Pyrotechnics Blast Kills 103 in Russian Nightclub
MANSUR MIROVALEV
Associated Press Writer
PERM, Russia — Panicked clubgoers crushed each other to death in a popular Russian nightspot as they tried to flee a fast-moving fire that one eyewitness told The Associated Press was started by pyrotechnic fountains set up on the stage.
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Officials said 103 people died when the fire tore through the popular Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm late Friday, filling the crowded barracks-like building with thick black smoke. Authorities said they arrested the registered owner of the club and the manager.
Officials said the club managers ignored repeated demands from authorities to change the club's interior to comply with fire safety standards. "They have neither brains, nor conscience," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, urging a tough punishment for the culprits.
Officials said most of the dead suffocated or were crushed at the exit.
"The fire spread very quickly," said Marina Zabbarova, chief investigator for the local prosecutor's office. "Panic arose which led to a mass death of people."
News footage shot later outside the Lame Horse showed charred bodies lying in rows on the ground amid a light snowfall. Rescue workers carried bodies on stretchers into waiting vans.
Svetlana Kuvshinova, who was in the nightclub when the blaze broke out, told the AP it started after three fireworks fountains spewed sparks, igniting the plastic ceiling.
"The fire took seconds to spread," she said. "It was like a dry haystack. There was only one way out. They nearly stampeded me."
Another clubgoer said panic spread quickly through the crowd.
"There was only one exit, and people starting breaking down the doors to get out," said a woman who identified herself only as Olga, smeared with soot and wearing a filthy fur coat. "They were breaking the door and panic set in. Everything was in smoke. I couldn't see anything."
A video recorded by one of the clubgoers and run by Russian television stations showed flames engulfing the ceiling decorated with willow twigs as a host shouted in a casual tone: "Ladies and Gentlemen, guests of the club, we are on fire. Please leave the hall!"
People reluctantly and slowly began heading toward the exit, some of them turning back to look at the burning ceiling, but then rushed away in panic as flames quickly spread around seconds later.
Authorities set about identifying bodies Saturday morning, as ambulances delivered some of the more than 130 injured to planes waiting at the airport, where they were being evacuated to Moscow hospitals.
Medical authortities said nearly 90 of the injured were in critical condition.
Firefighters were on the scene in downtown Perm one minute after the alarm was called in, the Emergency Situations Ministry said, and they took less than an hour to put the fire out.
Zabbarova, the top investigator, said that there was no suspicion of a terrorist attack.
Russia has been on edge since last week's bombing of the high-speed Nevsky Express passenger train midway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, which killed 27 in the first deadly terrorist attack outside Russia's restive Caucasus republics since 2004. Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for the blast.
Perm, a city of around 1 million people, is about 700 miles (1,200 kilometers) east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains.
Enforcement of fire safety standards is notoriously lax in Russia and there have been several catastrophic blazes at drug-treatment facilities, nursing homes, apartment buildings and night clubs in recent years.
Medvedev, who summoned top officials to report on the fire and rescue efforts, urged changes in the law to toughen punishment for violation of fire safety standards.
Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per-capita rate in the United States and other Western countries. Nightclub fires have killed thousands of people worldwide.
Ten people died when an entertainer's clothing was ignited during a so-called "fire show" at a Moscow club in March 2007.
In February 2008, a fire in the Golden Rock nightclub in the Siberian city of Omsk killed four people. Officials said the blast might have been caused by natural gas.
A nightclub fire in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling.
Associated Press Writers Douglas Birch, Jim Heintz and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Associated Press Writer
PERM, Russia — Panicked clubgoers crushed each other to death in a popular Russian nightspot as they tried to flee a fast-moving fire that one eyewitness told The Associated Press was started by pyrotechnic fountains set up on the stage.
Related
- RiaNovosti: Dozens in critical condition after Russian nightclub fi...
- BBC: Russian Nightclub Fire, Photos
Officials said the club managers ignored repeated demands from authorities to change the club's interior to comply with fire safety standards. "They have neither brains, nor conscience," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, urging a tough punishment for the culprits.
Officials said most of the dead suffocated or were crushed at the exit.
"The fire spread very quickly," said Marina Zabbarova, chief investigator for the local prosecutor's office. "Panic arose which led to a mass death of people."
News footage shot later outside the Lame Horse showed charred bodies lying in rows on the ground amid a light snowfall. Rescue workers carried bodies on stretchers into waiting vans.
Svetlana Kuvshinova, who was in the nightclub when the blaze broke out, told the AP it started after three fireworks fountains spewed sparks, igniting the plastic ceiling.
"The fire took seconds to spread," she said. "It was like a dry haystack. There was only one way out. They nearly stampeded me."
Another clubgoer said panic spread quickly through the crowd.
"There was only one exit, and people starting breaking down the doors to get out," said a woman who identified herself only as Olga, smeared with soot and wearing a filthy fur coat. "They were breaking the door and panic set in. Everything was in smoke. I couldn't see anything."
A video recorded by one of the clubgoers and run by Russian television stations showed flames engulfing the ceiling decorated with willow twigs as a host shouted in a casual tone: "Ladies and Gentlemen, guests of the club, we are on fire. Please leave the hall!"
People reluctantly and slowly began heading toward the exit, some of them turning back to look at the burning ceiling, but then rushed away in panic as flames quickly spread around seconds later.
Authorities set about identifying bodies Saturday morning, as ambulances delivered some of the more than 130 injured to planes waiting at the airport, where they were being evacuated to Moscow hospitals.
Medical authortities said nearly 90 of the injured were in critical condition.
Firefighters were on the scene in downtown Perm one minute after the alarm was called in, the Emergency Situations Ministry said, and they took less than an hour to put the fire out.
Zabbarova, the top investigator, said that there was no suspicion of a terrorist attack.
Russia has been on edge since last week's bombing of the high-speed Nevsky Express passenger train midway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, which killed 27 in the first deadly terrorist attack outside Russia's restive Caucasus republics since 2004. Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for the blast.
Perm, a city of around 1 million people, is about 700 miles (1,200 kilometers) east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains.
Enforcement of fire safety standards is notoriously lax in Russia and there have been several catastrophic blazes at drug-treatment facilities, nursing homes, apartment buildings and night clubs in recent years.
Medvedev, who summoned top officials to report on the fire and rescue efforts, urged changes in the law to toughen punishment for violation of fire safety standards.
Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per-capita rate in the United States and other Western countries. Nightclub fires have killed thousands of people worldwide.
Ten people died when an entertainer's clothing was ignited during a so-called "fire show" at a Moscow club in March 2007.
In February 2008, a fire in the Golden Rock nightclub in the Siberian city of Omsk killed four people. Officials said the blast might have been caused by natural gas.
A nightclub fire in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling.
Associated Press Writers Douglas Birch, Jim Heintz and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
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Unbelievably similar to the Station nightclub job.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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If they have such lax enforcement of the fire or safety codes as has been reported, I would believe any sentences would be just as light.
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It would seem the Russians could use a fire-safety Tsar.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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Follow the money.
Even though there are reports that there were repeated calls for improvements, remember; there was only ONE exit. The inspectors HAD to know that. And the club would have been shut down right then and there until more exits added.
Someone was looking the other way and being paid handsomely to do it.
If you look at the photos, this club was no dive. It was high end and yet PLASTIC ceilings.
When I have been at shows where pyrotechnics were used indoors like at a KISS concert, firefighters had to be present and trust me; they were ready if something went wrong. It did in 1975 and it was quickly extinguished.
Crap like this should not happen in the 21st century.
And there should be many people go to jail over this.
But, again; it's about money.
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Permalink Reply by SGT McDonald on
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A shorter, better video here;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7k6YXXyrFg
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KISS Art?
Actually, what I find almost as disturbing as the lack of code enforcement, is how casual people are with the bodies laying out on the street.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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I suspect that building codes and enforcement are quite what they are here. Then again I don't for a second believe that the Station Nightclub fire can't or won't happen again here so it's not a big surprise that it happened elsewhere in the world. What a waste of lives in any event.
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Permalink Reply by Russell Yount on
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Like everyone else, my first thought after hearing about this was the eerie similarity to the Station fire.
As a native Kentuckian, I remember also the Beverly Hills fire and how such a massive loss of life should not have happened.
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Permalink Reply by Don Beltrami on
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It's incredible that after the example of the Station, and the fire in Chicago prior to that, that people can be this careless. Wicker ceiling panels over pyrotechnics?! One exit? Unfortunately I think some of the earlier posters are right- it all comes down to money. People are paid to ignore violations or more people than the facility can accomodate are allowed in, or the operators can't afford to meet the code so they ignore them. Your best bet? Know where the exits are and stay out of dives.
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Gee whiz, it was a little fire in a big truck. You got a problem wit dat?
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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The general public have a very short memory in regards to tradgey. Not to mention most are not trained in fire prevention or code enforcement, so very few consider secondary means of egress before an incident occurs.
As far as history repeating itself, I personally think we will see it again in the US. Many places have grandfathered codes and sprinklers due to occupancy age and as far as the current economy... many owners of these establishments will continue to operate with the low bid mentality. Post station night club, we still stumble on violations, like barred or chained egress doors at establishments while in operation with security issues or trying to avoid paying patrons trying to sneak in non-paying patrons...
Errie that the fatality numbers were very similiar with 100 at the station night club and 103 in Russia.
Terrible tradgey... RIP
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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Along with such issues you mention FETC, I would also like to point out the lack of response the public makes even to life safety systems, such as smoke alarms and even fire alarm systems. A few days ago Stevie Wonder was being awarded a recognition and during his acceptance speech the fire alarm goes off. The response was, "what is that, what do we do?"
Same thing the other night in GB. I got back to the station and the guys were watching a basketball game when the fire alarm went off. Play stopped, but everyone just sat in their seats looking around, even the damn announcers were like "some type of alarm is going off, not sure what is going on" even though the alarm voice stated there is a fire in the building. Then just look at apartment complexes and such. How many have you, heck anyone for that matter, gone to with a fire alarm sounding, but people still inside their apartments?
Complacency is a hell of a thing and it is all around.
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