Goa club fire: How narrow passageways, crowded dancefloor and flammable structure became a death trap

25 people lost their lives in a massive fire that broke out in the early hours of Sunday (December 7) at the popular nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, Goa. The dead included 4 tourists and 14 staff members. This accident proved to be even more horrific not only because of the fire but also because of the dangerous structure of the club, narrow roads and alleged illegal constructions. Now questions are being raised as to how this club was open despite gross violation of safety standards.

According to police, the fire broke out shortly after midnight on Sunday. A stampede broke out in the crowded club. Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad, said that some people ran down in panic as soon as the fire broke out and got directly trapped in the ground floor kitchen, from where it became impossible to get out.

The narrow entry and exit in the layout of the club proved to be the biggest hurdle in the relief work. A fire service official said, “Due to limited access, it became difficult for fire vehicles to move inside, which led to delay in controlling the fire and rescuing people.” According to official estimates, many of the deaths were caused more by suffocation than by the fire.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that according to preliminary investigation the fire started from the upper floor. “The doors were very narrow. Some people were able to get out, but many could not come out as the fire intensified,” he said. Sawant said that many people who ran into the underground part died of suffocation due to poor ventilation. He has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

The Chief Minister clearly said that the club had not followed the fire safety norms. Meanwhile, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo announced that a fire safety audit of all nightclubs will be conducted, and the licenses of establishments that do not follow the rules will be cancelled. The location of the club also became a big problem, it was on the edge of a backwater and could be reached only through a narrow path. Fire engines had to stop 400 meters away from the incident site, wasting precious time in rescue operations.

There were about 100 people present on the dance floor that night. According to eyewitnesses, the temporary palm-leaf structures built within the club burst into flames in an instant, consuming the entire structure within minutes.

Arpora-Nagoa sarpanch Roshan Redkar claimed that the construction of the club was illegal. “The club had no construction license. We conducted an investigation after complaints and issued a demolition notice, but the order was stayed after an appeal,” he said. Panchayat officials during inspection found that the club was running without necessary permissions.

Goa Police chief Alok Kumar said the fire started from a cylinder explosion. But several eyewitnesses questioned this claim and said that the fire originated from the first floor of the club, where tourists were dancing. The government has announced an ex-gratia amount of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured. The Chief Minister said that an FIR has been registered against the general managers and owner of the hotel and arrest warrants have been issued. The investigation will also see whether construction and fire safety standards were followed or not.

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