Sixteen people will face criminal charges in connection with
January’s fire at the Kiss night club in Brazil – one of the deadliest night
club blazes in history in which more than 240 people were killed and 600
injured.
Police said the fire started when the singer in a band held
a firework close to the ceiling, and insulating foam caught fire, spreading poisonous
fumes through the club in the southern town of Santa Maria.
A fire extinguisher failed to work, and investigators said
there was only one exit, a situation described as a "grotesque safety
failure". Escape routes and
lighting were found to be inadequate, and the club was also said to have been
overcrowded.
The singer, the band's producer, the
club's owners, and fire officials will be charged with negligent homicide. (See also my blog of Jan
28.)
* Another intriguing story in the Londonist’s ‘forgotten
disasters’ series – the Fatal Vespers.
Or see my book – London’s
Disasters: from Boudicca to the Banking Crisis P113. http://londonist.com/2013/02/londons-forgotten-disasters-the-fatal-vespers.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+londonist%2FsBMe+(Londonist)
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