New Delhi:
The fire in a Goa nightclub, which has claimed 25 lives and left six injured, started on the dance floor. Some of the victims reportedly ran to the kitchen downstairs to escape the blaze. They were trapped there with the club’s staff and suffocated to death.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire at ‘Birch By Romeo Lane’ in Goa’s Arpora village, about 25 km from Panaji, started around 1 am. At the time, about 100 people were having a great time. Suddenly, a fire broke out, and chaos followed. While some tourists managed to escape, others fled into the kitchen downstairs. Within a short while, the club was engulfed in the fire.
READ: Tourists Among 25 Killed In Massive Fire At Goa Club
After fire engines managed to put out the flames, 25 bodies were found. The dead included tourists and staff members, and some bodies are yet to be identified.
According to the nightclub’s Instagram page, ‘Birch By Romeo Lane’ was hosting a ‘Bollywood Banger Night’ when the fire took place.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has described it as a “very painful day” for Goa and ordered an inquiry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief. “The fire mishap in Arpora, Goa, is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Goa CM Dr Pramod Sawant Ji about the situation. The state government is providing all possible assistance to those affected,” he said on X.
What Witness Said
Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad, told news agency PTI, “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.”
She said some tourists started running downstairs when the blaze began. “They (tourists) got trapped there along with other staff. Many managed to run out of the club,” she said. Fatima said there were makeshift structures made of palm leaves, and they easily caught fire.
Narrow Entry-Exit
‘Birch By Romeo Lane’ is located near the backwaters of the Arpora River and has a narrow entry and exit. The nightclub promotes itself as an “island club” and is connected to the main road through narrow lanes. This proved tricky after the blaze because fire engines could not reach the club and had to be parked about 400 m away. A senior fire officer told PTI that the narrow access made it difficult to reach the club, delaying the firefighting exercise. He said many of the deaths were caused by suffocation after the victims were trapped in the smoke.
Club Violated Norms
Arpora-Nagoa panchayat sarpanch Roshan Redkar said the partners who ran the club were locked in a dispute and had filed complaints against each other. “There was a dispute between them and they had filed a complaint against each other with the panchayat. 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, but officials of the directorate of Panchayats paused the action, Redkar said. The owner of the premises had sublet the place to Saurav Luthra, he said. “The fire incident that happened was unfortunate. We have been issuing notices to the establishments that are seen violating the norms. Now, we have to be more vigilant,” he told PTI.
