Watch | What led to Goa nightclub fire, why fire engines parked 400 metres away: Big questions that remain unanswered
The Goa nightclub was packed with weekend crowds inside a structure reportedly built with flammable material, and it had only a narrow access route.
A tragic late-night blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular nightclub in North Goa's Arpora, turned into one of the state’s deadliest fire tragedies, killing at least 25 people and injuring six.
The incident unfolded just after midnight on Sunday. Goa Police said in a statement that “the cause of fire is yet to be ascertained. Police and fire department investigation is in progress. Legal action is being taken.” Follow Goa nightclub fire live updates
What led to the fire at Goa Nightclub
Early findings paint a grim picture of how several risk factors came together that night. The nightclub was said to be packed with weekend crowds inside a structure reportedly built with flammable material, and it had only a narrow access route and restricted escape paths — a combination that left little room for error.
While investigators are still determining what sparked the initial blaze, a PTI news agency report quoting Goa Police chief Alok Kumar suggested a cylinder blast may have triggered the incident.
“From my preliminary inquiry, it appears the fire started on the upper floor," said state chief minister Pramod Sawant. He was speaking to PTI, when he noted that narrow and congested doors further reduced escape chances.
“Once the fire intensified, others could not get out. Many who moved towards the underground area died due to suffocation because there was no proper ventilation,” he added.
Access hurdles slowed rescue
Access to the nightclub also proved to be a major hurdle. Its remote backwater location meant there was only a single narrow approach road, forcing fire engines to halt nearly 400 metres away and delaying both rescue and containment. A senior fire officer told PTI the restricted access “made it difficult to reach the spot, which in turn made controlling the blaze a challenging task.”
Officials said most of the victims were staff members working in the basement, an area with almost no ventilation and very limited exits. Three people died from burn injuries caused directly by the explosion, police said, while the rest succumbed to smoke inhalation. Among the dead are three women.
What eyewitnesses say
Several witnesses said the fire seemed to originate on the first floor, which is the packed dance area where roughly 100 tourists were present.
“There was a sudden commotion as the flames started erupting. We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad recalled, reported news agency PTI. She was also on the dance floor, she added that the palm-leaf temporary construction “easily caught fire.”
Many victims, witnesses said, ran downstairs during the chaos and got trapped in the kitchen along with staff members. “Some of the tourists started running downstairs and, in the melee, went to the kitchen… They got trapped there along with other staff,” Shaikh told PTI.
Probe continues
A fresh angle has emerged around the nightclub’s legality. Arpora-Nagoa sarpanch Roshan Redkar told reporters that the structure was built without the required construction licence. According to an earlier HT report, he said the panchayat had issued a demolition notice after receiving complaints, but the order was stayed after an appeal. The club, Redkar added, is operated by Saurabh Luthra.
Meanwhile, Chief minister Sawant, who visited the spot at 2 am, said, “We have ordered a magisterial inquiry. 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 further called the incident “extremely tragic”. He said this was the first time Goa had witnessed a fire disaster of this scale.
Sawant also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned him at 6 am for a detailed briefing and assured full support.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office announced ₹2 lakh ex gratia for each deceased person's family and ₹50,000 for the injured.
