Police, probing the case, said that the primary cause of the high toll was the narrow exits and overcrowding of the night club. It was meant to be a night of partying and fun for a group of four friends from Karnataka who chose to spend Saturday night at the ill-fated Birch by Romeo Lane at Arpora along the north Goa coast.
The friends, who declined to be identified, and all in their early 20s, said they were drawn by the DJ, who was to play at the venue, said the night that began on a festive note turned ghastly within minutes as the fire, which began above the stage, quickly engulfed the whole club leaving little time to escape. “At least 200 people were in the club at the time the fire was noticed. During a bellydance performance, the performers used cold pyro sticks, which upon ignition leapt skywards and came in contact with the ceiling that was made of bamboo, fibre and grass-type material. This caused some sparks and fumes on the roof…and within a few minutes, the whole place was ablaze,” said an eyewitness, adding that the first sparks took place at around 11.30 pm on Saturday.
“Three of us managed to escape, but one had breathing problems due to inhaling fumes and some burn injuries. We rushed her to a hospital in Mapusa and late at night brought her to Goa Medical College for treatment,” the eyewitness said. Another eyewitness Jayesh Diukar, who was working at the nightclub on the night of the incident, said he escaped because he worked in the live kitchen section of the club, which is located at the ground level (deck), which enabled him to get out.
“The nightclub has two kitchens — the main kitchen, which is located in the basement, of the club and the live kitchen, which is near the main dining area– because our tandoor, oven used for preparing pizzas, etc cannot be used downstairs,” Diukar told a local media channel. “I was busy in the kitchen and didn’t see how the fire originated. All I saw was all the guests running out. When I went to see what the commotion was, the fire was already huge. We had no option but to escape. We tried helping guests towards the exits, but many were staying back because they couldn’t locate their partners. People were searching for each other. Others were calling those who they couldn’t locate but the calls were not going through,” Diukar said.
Police, probing the case, said that the primary cause of the high toll was the narrow exits and overcrowding of the night club. The toll would have been even higher had there been a stampede as partygoers rushed towards the exits, they said. Five people are recuperating at the Goa Medical College and Hospital and their condition is said to be stable, a health official said. The five have been identified as Amit Kumar, 35, Clinton Prasad, 28, Rahul Rai, 23 and Atish Mehta, 32, Tanishka Chaurasia, 20.
Among the injured recovering at Goa Medical College (GMC), four men suffered 12 percent burn injuries, while one, a 20-year-old woman, suffered 29 percent burn injuries, said a government official, adding that all are stable. “I hope that by tomorrow or the day after they will be able to be discharged. They are being monitored,” health secretary Yetindra Maralkar said.
Another eyewitness, who identified himself as Avni, said he was outside the club when the incident took place and helped some of the guests who were rushing out. “I’m still shivering from what happened last night. One woman was completely distraught. Her three sisters and husband were still stuck inside the club and she couldn’t get through to them. They didn’t make it,” he said.
“This is gross negligence on the part of the club. After the fire started, the staff were only busy moving equipment, no one raised an alarm, no one warned the people in the basement to escape. There were no fire extinguishers on the site and if there were, there was no one using them in an attempt to put out the fire. Had someone taken responsibility, at least half a dozen among those who perished in the basement would have been saved,” he added. “I don’t know how licences are being given to such establishments,” he said.
Police said 25 people were killed, including four tourists and 14 staff members of the club, in the midnight blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane at Arpora. The identity of seven deceased is yet to be established, while six people are injured and undergoing treatment. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, said police in a statement.
