Choked exit, palm leaves: How Goa nightclub became death chamber during fire
A fire at a nightclub in Goa's Arpora - Birch by Romeo Lane - killed 25, raising questions about its legality and safety protocols.
As investigations begin into the devastating fire at a nightclub in Goa's Arpora that killed at least 25, key question about how an allegedly illegal venue with safety violations continued to operate and what exactly triggered the blaze remain unanswered.
Police got a call regarding fire at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora after midnight on Sunday. Track latest in Goa nightclub fire probe here
The blaze killed at least 25 people, including four tourists and 14 staff members of the nightclub.
Goa nightclub fire: 5 unanswered questions
1. What exactly caused the fire - a cylinder blast or something on the first floor?
Goa police chief Alok Kumar told PTI that the fire occurred due to a cylinder blast. But multiple witnesses dispute this version. Some said the fire began on the first floor, where around 100 tourists were dancing.
"There was a sudden commotion as the flames started erupting," the news agency quoted Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad. "We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames."
With conflicting accounts and no official forensic conclusion yet, the exact ignition point remains unknown.
2. 'Narrow entry, exit': Why were escape routes unclear?
Eyewitnesses described panic as the crowd tried to escape. Shaikh said that when flames erupted, "some of the tourists started running downstairs and, in the melee, went to the kitchen located on the ground floor. They [tourists] got trapped there along with other staff."
The nightclub's layout - including a narrow entry and exit, and its location in the backwaters - appears to have contributed to the confusion. A senior fire and emergency services officer told PTI the narrow access "made it difficult to reach the spot, which in turn made controlling the blaze a challenging task." Most deaths, officials said, were due to suffocation.
The toll earlier was 23 and rose to 25 later.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Sunday morning that from his preliminary inquiry, it appears the fire started on the upper floor. Because the doors were very congested, some people managed to escape, but once the fire intensified, others could not get out, he said.
“Many who moved towards the underground area died due to suffocation because there was no proper ventilation. We have ordered a magisterial inquiry,” he added, speaking to PTI.
4. Why was the club so difficult for fire brigades to access?
The nightclub sits in the backwaters with a single narrow access route. Fire trucks reportedly had to be parked 400 metres away, delaying rescue and containment.
The nightclub was jam-packed as it was the weekend, and at least 100 persons were on the dance floor, Shaikh said.
In no time, the entire club was engulfed in the fire. “There was a temporary construction made up of palm leaves which easily caught fire,” she recalled.
Whether authorities had previously flagged the lack of access for fire services - and whether the venue should have been allowed to host large crowds at all - is still to be determined.
4. ‘Illegally’ constructed nightclub?
Arpora-Nagoa sarpanch Roshan Redkar stated that the structure was illegal. “There were complaints against the club and when we conducted an inquiry we found that there was no construction licence. We had issued a demolition notice after following due process. However, the demolition notice was stayed upon appeal,” a separate HT report quoted Redkar as saying, speaking to reporters.
"We had inspected the premises and found that they did not have the permission to construct the club," he said. The panchayat issued a demolition notice, which was later stayed by the Directorate of Panchayats.
Redkar said the club is being run by Saurabh Luthra, adding that there was a dispute between him and the land owners as well as a dispute between him and his business partners which had led to complaints against the establishment.
The panchayat had issued a demolition notice after inspection of the premises was carried out and it was found that they did not have the permission to construct the club, Redkar said. The demolition notice was stayed by the officials of the Directorate of Panchayats, he added.
According to the Goa Panchayati Raj Act, a person aggrieved by a taken by a local government body has a right to first file an appeal before the Directorate of Panchayats, and a deputy director, who functions as a quasi-judicial officer can either uphold, or overturn the panchayat’s decision.
The club reportedly stood on eco-sensitive saltpan land and within a Coastal Regulation Zone, where construction is banned. Why enforcement stalled - and who intervened - remains unclear.
5. Were fire safety norms ever checked?
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said the nightclub "had not followed the fire safety norms" and ordered a magisterial inquiry "to identify the cause and fix responsibility."
Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said panchayats would now conduct a fire safety audit of all nightclubs and issue notices on Monday seeking safety permissions, stressing that licenses will be cancelled for clubs lacking compliance, according to PTI.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000, the PMO said.
Goa CM said an FIR has been registered against the hotel's general managers and the owner, and arrest warrants have been issued. The inquiry will thoroughly examine whether fire safety and construction norms were followed, he said.
