Rock fan's flare blamed for club blaze
A flare lit by a rock fan ignited the foam ceiling of a Buenos Aires nightclub, sparking an inferno that killed at least 175 people and injured 619.
Investigators today were looking into survivor accounts that the building’s emergency exit was locked.
Grieving parents crowded the Argentinian capital’s morgues to identify the dead – many of them teenagers – after the blaze swept through the packed club, triggering a stampede, late last night.
The fire unleashed thick clouds of black smoke, choking many of the 1,500 people inside and blocking out emergency lighting, survivors said.
After the blaze was brought under control today, rescue workers turned a nearby car park into a temporary morgue, lining up dozens of bodies whose faces were covered by T-shirts.
“You couldn’t see anything, the air was thick with smoke,” said one survivor who identified himself only as Juan.
“People were pushing and jumping over each other trying to get out,” said Jose Maria Godoy, said. ”It was like a human wave. As people fell down running for the door, others just simply ran over them or pushed them down.”
Buenos Aires Mayor Anibal Ibarra confirmed the cause of the blaze, calling the lighting of a flare in a closed environment “an irresponsible act.”
He also said that an emergency exit in the building was believed to have been locked to prevent people from entering without paying, leaving the main entrance as the only way in or out of the club.
Flares are often lit by fans attending rock concerts in Argentina, which are frequently rowdy and punctuated by fireworks set off by people in the crowd.
“Someone from the crowd tossed a flare and there were immediately flames,” said Fabian Zamudeo, a 22-year-old in the crowd to see a popular Argentine rock band, Los Callejeros.
“Parts of the roof started falling down in flames and people started running, knocking over speakers and light stands,” he added. “People were choking on smoke and I tried to push as many people out as I could.”
Relatives gathered outside Buenos Aires hospitals, seeking information about missing loved ones. Hospital officials shouted out names of injured as large crowds swarmed hospital entrances.
Hundreds of bystanders and relatives stood outside the nightclub as rescue workers carried the wounded away on stretchers. Others could be seen treating the injured in the street in front of the Republica de la Cromagnon disco which is popular with teenagers.
Ambulances packed with six or seven people ferried the injured to hospitals and officers converted police vans into makeshift ambulances as the number of injured and dead rose.
Streets outside the club were lined with stray pairs of trainers and strewn with blackened clothes – remains of the chaotic flight from the building by hordes of people.
Minutes after the fire broke out, shirtless concert-goers charged out of the building, many carrying people on their shoulders. After firefighters arrived and began to battle the blaze, many youths lingered outside the building, calling out the names of their missing friends.
At least 1,500 people were believed to have been in the building at the time of the fire, with some reports saying the amount could be almost twice as much.
“This is a true disaster ... particularly with so many young people and kids inside,” said Interior Minister Anibal Fernandez.
