 | |
| Date | 6 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Time | 23:45 (Indian Standard Time) |
| Duration | ~2 hours |
| Venue | Birch by Romeo Lane |
| Location | Arpora, Goa, India |
| Coordinates | 15°34′19″N73°45′39″E / 15.57194°N 73.76083°E |
| Cause | Burst firecrackers; under investigation |
| Deaths | 25 |
| Non-fatal injuries | ~50 |
On 6 December 2025, a fire killed 25 people at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, Goa, India. The cause of the fire is believed to be burst firecrackers.
The Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub opened in 2024. [1] It was issued demolition notices by the local gram panchayat and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, but they were stayed by the Directorate of Panchayats of Goa after an appeal. [2] [3] The club reportedly received a legal notice in November 2024 that the structure was illegally built on a salt pan. [4] The club had a narrow entrance and exit and was located on an island, which hampered evacuation and firefighting efforts. [5] [6] [3] The nightclub was reportedly hosting a "Bollywood Banger Night" dance at the time of the fire. [3]
The fire started at 11:45 IST. [4] [7] [8] The area of destruction was concentrated around the kitchen on the ground floor of the club. [9] The original blast was reported powerful enough to engulf the entire building within seconds. [10] There were reportedly at least 100 people on the dance floor of the nightclub at the time of the fire. [11] [12]
The police first received an emergency call at 12:04 IST (18:34 UTC). [13] [14] Due to the location of the club, fire trucks had to be parked 400 metres away from the site of the fire. [15] [16] The Goa Director General of Police Alok Kumar later confirmed the fire had been brought under control. [13] [14] The fire was put out after almost two hours. [10] [17] Rescue operations continued into the morning. [18] [10]
The fire is believed to be caused by the bursting of improperly used indoor electrical firecrackers. [5] [4] The fire was originally suspected to have been caused by a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder explosion; [9] [19] [17] however, this has since been ruled out. [10] [5] Several nearby residents and a nearby security guard near the venue reported hearing a loud blast. [14] [20] The fire spread quickly in part due to temporary palm leaf decorations, which caught fire easily. [3] [16]
Goa Police report that 25 people were killed in the fire. [10] [12] Evidence suggests that 20 of the 25 victims were members of the staff at the nightclub. [10] [4] Four tourists also died in the fire. [10] [21] Most of the victims died from suffocation, with only three dying of burn injuries. [10] [1] [22] Many died after running towards the basement and becoming trapped, with two victims being found on the staircase. [23] [1] Many victims were working in the basement and could not escape the fire. [2] Three of the victims of the fire were women. [14] [24]
Approximately 50 people were also injured in the fire and are being treated at the Goa Medical College (GMC) hospital in Bambolim. [18] [10] [23] By the morning, only six remained significantly injured, and all were in stable condition. [12] [11] [25]
All bodies were recovered and sent to the GMC. [26] [25] All 25 victims have been identified. [4] [27]
Officials have said the deceased who were staff at the club came from the states of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka. One employee was from Nepal. All four tourists who had died in the fire were members of the same family from Delhi. [28]
Initial investigation suggests that the club did not follow fire safety standards and was operating without the mandatory permissions. [26] [13] [2] It was also discovered that the club did not have permission to build. [11] [29] Crews were sent to the site of the fire to determine the cause and remained there until late afternoon the next day. [18] [4]
Goa Police said that legal action is being taken. [12] The owners of the club, Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, were questioned about the fire and given an FIR. [10] [29] The two owners were later found to have fled to Phuket, Thailand, and were given a warrant for arrest. [4] The sarpanch of the Arpora-Nagoa panchayat, Roshan Redkar, was also detained in connection with the fire. [29] Five arrests were made: Rajiv Modak, Vivek Singh, Rajveer Singhania, Priyanshu Thakur, and Bharat Kohli. The other clubs owned by Romeo Lane were also closed after fire safety violations were found. [4]
The Goa state government ordered an investigation into the blaze and fire safety audits for all other nightclubs in the area. [12] [19] [7] The investigation is expected to include scrutiny of emergency exits, ventilation, and structural compliance. [20] The complete inquiry report is expected to take a week. [5] Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant set up a committee to lead the investigation. [4] [27]
Goa's CM Sawant visited the site of the fire and said on X that "today is a very painful day for all of us in Goa." He also said that "those found responsible will face most stringent action under the law" and that the club had been run "illegally". [9] [30] Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X that the fire was "deeply saddening" and that he had spoken to Sawant about the disaster. [10] [19] He confirmed that the state government was providing assistance. He also wrote that the government would send payments of 2 lakh of rupees from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for relatives of the fire victims and 50,000 rupees for the injured. [10] [14]
CM Sawant additionally pledged 5 lakh rupees for relatives of the victims and another 50,000 rupees for the injured. [4] President Droupadi Murmu also expressed condolences on X , saying she was "deeply pained" by the fire and wished for a fast recovery for the victims. [10] [13] Condolences were also expressed by Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, [10] [12] Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, [10] and Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. [31]
Sauraub Luthra, one of the owners of the restaurant, initially fled to Phuket. In his first statement after the fire, he posted on Instagram that his management "expresses profound grief and is deeply shaken by the tragic loss of lives" in the fire and "stands in unwavering solidarity with the families of the deceased" and injured. [4]