Narrow access, flouted norms, packed house: String of lapses behind deadly Goa nightclub fire

ALate-night discharge turned weekend revelry into a horrific tragedy at a nightclub in magnetic north Goa's Arpora as the monolithic blaze out claimed the lives of 25 people and left wing six people injured.The fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora started around midnight at the North Goa nightclub, which was packed with visitors on a busy weekend in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, leading to one of the worst tragedies in the state.The aftermath of the tragedy has pointed out several loopholes: narrow access, restricted escape paths, a cylinder blast and the use of flammable material in construction. The nightclub was packed with around 100 visitors and over a dozen stuff when the tragedy unfolded.Catch all the updates on Goa nightclub fireA video shot moments before the fire began showed flames starting from the roof and spreading to the compound, followed by a cylinder blast that is believed to have triggered the massive blaze.What led to the fire?At least 100 people were on the dance floor when the fire broke out. In a bid to escape, the visitors rushed downstairs to the kitchen, where they got trapped along with the staff, Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad, told PTI.The cause of the fire is yet to be established, even as conflicting reports have emerged about how the blaze erupted.A preliminary inquiry has indicated that the fire started on the first floor, and the people got trapped due to congestion and small doors.Also Read: Choked exit, palm leaves: How Goa nightclub became death chamber during fireThe state police initially said the fire occurred due to a cylinder blast; however, the eyewitnesses claimed that the fire started on the first floor, where tourists were dancing.The video also showed a fire erupting on the roof of the room where a belly-dance performance was underway and quickly spreading in the complex. Four tourists and 14 staff members died in the tragic incident.Shaikh also said there was a temporary construction made up of palm leaves which easily caught fire.Fire rakes up flouted normsAn initial inquiry has pointed to several norms being flouted by the nightclub. The nightclub was reportedly built with flammable material, and it had only a narrow access route. What made it worse was that the escape paths were restricted, leaving roughly 100 visitors with little room for escape.The preliminary inquiry has said that the visitors could not escape due to congestion and small doors. Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, who visited the site, said the nightclub was running without several mandatory permissions."We will take action against the club management and also against the officials who allowed it to operate despite flouting safety norms," Sawant said. A First Information Report (FIR) was also registered against the owner and general manager of the nightclub, the CM said.Also Read: What led to Goa nightclub fire, why fire engines parked 400 metres away: Big questions that remain unansweredThe nightclub had also been issued demolition notices by both the village panchayat and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, as it stood on reclaimed saltpan land, HT reported earlier.Peculiar layout, packed floorBirch by Romeo Lane had a restrictive layout, with a narrow entry and exit, and its location in the backwaters added to the confusion.The peculiar layout, with narrow access, also made the fire and emergency services "difficult to reach the spot, which in turn made controlling the blaze a challenging task."The fire engines were forced to park around 400 metres away from the site of the blaze, which further delayed rescue and containment.