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Arrests made in investigation into Brazilian club fire
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 29 January 2013
Police in Brazil have made three arrests in relation to the club fire that killed 230 people this weekend. It is thought that the three men arrested include the owners of the venue destroyed in the fire, and possibly members of the band playing when the fire occurred. A fourth man, thought to be another owner of the club, is also wanted by police. Though officers stressed that the arrests so far were for “investigative purposes”.
As previously reported, a fire destroyed the Kiss Club in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria, in the country’s Southern-most region of Rio Grande do Sul. As with similarly tragic club fires in recent years, including that in 2003 in Rhode Island, it is thought the blaze was started by pyrotechnics on stage, and spread quickly when soundproofing materials caught fire.
Reports suggest that, as materials in the club started to burn, toxic fumes spread, adding to the death toll. Eyewitnesses also say that fire extinguishers in the venue didn’t work, and that the evacuation of the building was hindered because security guards – not realising what was happening inside – wouldn’t let people leave the club before they had settled their tabs, the venue seemingly operating a special card-payment system.
Amongst those quoted about the incident in local media was guitarist Rodrigo Martins, whose band Gurizada Fandangueira was playing at the time of the fire. He told Radio Gaucha: “We had played around five songs when I looked up and noticed the roof was burning. It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks. When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, and our singer tried to use it but it wasn’t working”.
Funerals began yesterday for some of those who died in the fire. Because the club was hosting a student event, most of those who died were aged between sixteen and 20.
