Bending Rules Can Lead to Deaths

Bands playing, drinks being poured, and couples dancing pretty much sums up The Nightlife.

The Nightlife allows young people to let loose and forget all their worries for just one night. They hit the clubs in search for an unforgettable night that would ignite laughable stories the next day. Unfortunately, Brazil’s lively city of Santa Maria will only be mourning and telling stories of how loved ones lived.

Exceeding the room capacity of 691 people, Kiss Nightclub was booming with over 2,000 people Saturday night, everyone trying to get in and listen to the band Gurizada Fandangueira play. What happened next was nowhere near cheering and applauses, but rather screams of horror and pushing and shoving.

The band ended one of their songs with pyrotechnic effects, causing the ceiling to catch on fire. The blazing fire spread quickly and over 2,000 people started running towards the only known exit. With the lights quickly burning out and the exit sign not clearly marked, people started running in all sorts of directions. To make things worse, some fire extinguishers were fake and had expired licenses.

As everyone tried to rush out Kiss nightclub, many stumbled and fell by the exit, causing people to either be trampled on or get stuck in the building with the fire quickly growing. Many ran towards the bathroom for safety, while others tried making holes in the walls, but there was no use.

The fire claimed the life of 234 people. Phones ringing, people searching for their loved ones, firefighters breaking down walls, the aftermath was difficult to see. As family members rushed to the scene to identify the bodies, they wanted explanations.

The investigation is still going on, trying to figure out what started the fire. The co-owner of Kiss nightclub, Mauro Hoffman was taken into custody for questioning.

This is not the first case people hear about fires at nightclubs. Many nightclubs have also been burned down all over the worlds mainly because of pyrotechnic effects. Not only that, but many die in these incidents because people bend the rules of safety. People need to be aware that there are safety guidelines for a reason and it can help save people’s lives. There has to be more safety check-ups on nightclubs, so these incidents stop claiming people’s lives.

People also need to be aware of their surroundings when they go to a packed event. We have to be aware of where the exit signs are and know that if we see something unsafe in a situation, to leave immediately.

But who is to blame for the Kiss nightclub fire?

Could it have been the guards, since they stopped people from leaving because they hadn’t paid yet? Could it have been the owner of Kiss Nightclub, who knew the room capacity and that the fire extinguishers were expired? Or could it have been the band Gurizada Fandangueira, who were aware that fireworks weren’t allowed in the club, yet used them anyway? People want answers and the current debate is, should everyone be responsible for the death of those people or should Hoffman take all the blame?

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