List of nightclub fires

Last updated

This is a list of notable nightclub fires at indoor and outdoor venues. Deadly nightclub fires often attribute to pyrotechnic failures, hence some of the list also feature in the List of fireworks accidents and incidents.

Contents

List

NameLocationCountryYearDeathsInjuriesOrigin Accelerant Notes
Study Club fire Detroit, Michigan United States19292250undetermined; possibly a lit cigarettedraperies, decorations [1] Prohibition-era speakeasy nightclub
Rhythm Club fire Natchez, Mississippi United States1940209200 Spanish moss sprayed with Flit At the time of incident, second-worst club fire in American history
Cocoanut Grove fire Boston, Massachusetts United States1942492130undetermined (disputed)draperies, decorations, possibly a refrigerant leak (methyl chloride)Deadliest club fire in history, and the third-worst single-building fire in American history (third only to the Iroquois Theatre fire and the September 11 attacks)
Karlslust dance hall fire Berlin, Germany Germany194781150stove pipeWorst fire disaster in Berlin since World War II; death toll reported between 80-88, but considered to be 81
Top Storey Club Bolton, Lancashire, EnglandUnited Kingdom196119solvents, paints14 died in the fire and 5 died of injuries received from jumping out of windows
Dale's Penthouse Montgomery, Alabama United States1967268non-extinguished tobacco pipe left in jacket pocket in the cloakroom Restaurant/lounge on the top floor of an 11-story building with no fire escape
Club Cinq-Sept fire Saint-Laurent-du-Pont France1970146discarded matchpolyurethane, papier-mâché
Blue Bird Café fire Montreal, Quebec Canada19723756arsongasoline
Playtown Cabaret fire Osaka Japan197211881discarded match or cigarette buttclothingClub on the top floor of a seven-story building with no fire escape
Whiskey Au Go Go fire Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland Australia197315arsongasoline
UpStairs Lounge arson attack New Orleans, Louisiana United States19733215arson Ronsonol lighter fluidDeadliest arson attack in New Orleans at that time, and one of the deadliest attacks on LGBT people in United States history
Gulliver's nightclub fire Port Chester, New York United States19742432arsonFuture Kiss drummer Eric Carr survived the fire, he played there with the band Creation.
Time Club fire Seoul South Korea197464short circuitThe total death toll for the entire Daewang Corner building fire was 88; 8 died from jumping out of windows
Puerto Rican Social Club fire New York CityUnited States19762524arsongasoline
Beverly Hills Supper Club fire Southgate, Kentucky United States1977165200possibly electricalcarpeting, wooden panelingThird-worst club fire in American history
Infinity Disco fire Manhattan, New YorkUnited States197900 [2] possibly arsonFormer location of Pfaff's Beer Cellar
Fire at Stadt [3] BoråsSweden19782059most likely a discarded cigarette-High-school graduation party at city hotel
Denmark Place fire Central London United Kingdom19803723arsongasoline
Stardust fire Artane, Dublin Ireland198148214cigarette on couch, flammable internal materials
Alcalá 20 nightclub fire Madrid Spain19838227electrical
Chowon (Greenfield) disco fire Daegu South Korea19832567short circuitmostly underage victims; exit reportedly chained shut to prevent them from leaving without paying [4]
Common People fire Seoul South Korea1984102oil stove knocked over during quarreloil fire spread to the couchfire broke out at 4:20 am; victims mostly underage
Happy Land fire The Bronx, New YorkUnited States1990876arsongasolineFifth-worst club fire in American history
Daegu Gosonggwan fire Daegu South Korea19911613arson6 liters of gasoline Fire started by spiteful rejected customer
Kheyvis fire Olivos, Buenos Aires Argentina19931724burning furniture (prank)Second-worst club fire in Argentine history
Yiyuan Disco fire  [ zh ] Fuxin, Liaoning China199423316sofa (caused by burning newspaper) [5] decorations
Ozone Disco fire Quezon City, Metro Manila Philippines199616295 [6] possibly electricalWorst fire in Philippine history
Rolling Stones fire Seoul South Korea1996113discarded cigarette buttwet paintfire trucks delayed by cars parked in narrow alley
Gothenburg discothèque fire Gothenburg Sweden199863214arsonMost victims were underage - event for secondary school students
Incheon club fire Incheon South Korea19995678basement construction workmostly underage victims; exit reportedly chained shut to prevent them from leaving without paying [7] [8]
LA2 fire London United Kingdom19990pyrotechnicsPyro from the band Toilet Böys set fire to netting suspended from the ceiling. [9]
Luoyang Christmas fire Luoyang, Henan China20003097weldingSecond deadliest nightclub fire in history. Construction and retail staff in the same building evacuated after internal broadcast, nightclub patrons on level 4 were forgotten about
Lobohombo explosion Mexico City Mexico20002224gas canisters [10]
Volendam New Year's fire Volendam Netherlands200114241pyrotechnics (sparkler)decorations (Christmas)
Canecão Mineiro nightclub fire Belo Horizonte Brazil20017197pyrotechnics
Myojo 56 building fire Kabukicho, Shinjuku Japan2001443suspected arsonFifth-deadliest fire in post-war Japanese history
Club La Guajira fire Caracas Venezuela20024728Christmas decorationBouncer delayed exit asking patrons not to leave without paying
Utopía nightclub fire Santiago de Surco, Lima Peru20022957torchacoustic foam
The Station nightclub fire West Warwick, Rhode Island United States2003100230pyrotechnicsacoustic foamFourth-deadliest club fire in American history
República Cromañón nightclub fire Buenos Aires Argentina20041941432pyrotechnicsplastic net (media sombra), styrofoam and wood decorations, acoustic panelsWorst club fire in Argentina history
El Festival Ballroom fire Houston, TexasUnited States200413arsonFirefighter killed in fire; initially thought to have been started by a truck, quickly ruled as arson [11]
911 nightclub fire Moscow Russia2007104pyrotechnics [12]
Lounge cafe fire Novi Sad Serbia200882arson shag carpet on the wallsFire was intentionally set by a patron named Miloš Malešev. He was sentenced to nine years and his companion to two years. Two owners of the bar were sentenced to seven years each. [13] [14]
Factory nightclub fire Quito Ecuador20081535pyrotechnics [10]
Wuwang Club fire Shenzhen, Guangdong China20084388pyrotechnics
Santika Club fire Watthana, Bangkok Thailand200967222fireworks or electrical explosiontar paper, plastic waterproofing
Lame Horse fire Perm Russia2009156≤160pyrotechnicsdecorations (willow twig)Worst fire in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Sabor Latino fire Rome Italy20104 [15] [16] electrical [17] acoustic foam
Jack Daniels nightclub fire  [ zh ] Taichung Taiwan2011913Originated during a fire show by a male dancer on stage, described as holding sparklers, [18] a torch, [19] or LED torch that malfunctioned and produced sparks [20]
Kontrast discotheque fire Novi Sad Serbia201264electricalFour persons were sentenced to between five and nine years in 2014. [21] [22]
Tiger Disco fire Patong, Phuket, chiangmaiThailand2012411electricalacoustic foamOfficially attributed to a short circuit, [23] some reports stated that the fire started when lightning struck a nearby transformer. [24]
Kiss nightclub fire Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul Brazil2013242630pyrotechnicsacoustic foamWorst club fire and second worst fire disaster in Brazil, third deadliest club fire in history
Colectiv nightclub fire Bucharest Romania201564160pyrotechnicsacoustic foam (polyurethane)Worst club fire in Romanian history
Ghost Ship warehouse fire Oakland, California United States2016362undetermined, possibly electricalN/AConverted warehouse used as an art collective and venue. Fire officials say staircase to second floor was made out of wooden pallets.
2016 Hanoi karaoke bar fire Cầu Giấy, HanoiVietnam201613welding [25]
Magway karaoke bar fire Magway Myanmar201716gas leak [26]
Yaoundé nightclub fire Yaoundé Cameroon2022168fireworksFireworks ignited the ceiling; eventually spread to gas bottles, causing explosions [27]
Sorong nightclub fire Sorong, West Papua Indonesia202219rioting [28] One victim died from stabbing during clashes.
Mountain B nightclub fire Sattahip, Chonburi Thailand20222622possibly electricalsoundproof foam
Binh Duong karaoke bar fire Thuận An, Binh Duong Vietnam2022323short circuit
Kostroma café fire Kostroma Russia2022135pyrotechnic flareInitial reports say that a pyrotechnic flare was released by a Russian soldier who had just returned from Ukraine. [29] [30]
Fonda Milagros nightclub fire Murcia Spain202313unknown
Gayrettepe nightclub fire Beşiktaş, Istanbul Turkey2024298possibly welding
2024 Hanoi karaoke bar fire Hanoi Vietnam2024112arson [31] gasolineFire started by patron following an argument with staff
Kočani nightclub fire Kočani North Macedonia202562195pyrotechnicsSparks from pyrotechnics hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, before rapidly spreading. [32] [33]

See also

References

  1. Buildings: Report. January 1979. ISBN   9780877622284.
  2. "Club Patrons Routed By Fire in Building". The New York Times. 15 February 1979. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  3. Engman, Aron (7 June 1978). "20 ungdomar miste livet i hotellbranden i Borås". SVT Nyheter.
  4. "24 Reported Dead, 70 Injured In Fire in South Korean Disco". The New York Times. 18 April 1983. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  5. "China holds 31 responsible for disco blaze". United Press International. 23 December 1994. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  6. [Philippines sentences over 1996 Ozone Disco fire Philippines sentences over 1996 Ozone Disco fire] from BBC News .November 2014.
  7. "54 Die in Fire at Youth Hangout in South Korea". The New York Times. 31 October 1999. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  8. Shin, Bong-gun (31 October 1999). "Fire Kills 54, Injures 75 at Illegal Bar in S. Korea". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  9. "Kerrang! review".
  10. 1 2 "Brazil, Mexico And Other Deadly Nightclub Fires In Latin America". The Huffington Post . 2013-01-28.
  11. "Ballroom blaze that killed firefighter arson". Houston Chronicle. April 6, 2004.
  12. Пожар в "911": клуб сгорел из-за бутафорских огнетушителей? [Fire at "911": Did the club burn down because of fake fire extinguishers?]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 26 March 2007.
  13. "Obeleženo 16 godina od tragedije u kafiću "Laundž", život izgubilo osmoro mladih" [16 years have passed since the tragedy at the "Lounge" cafe, where eight young people lost their lives]. JMU Radio-televizija Vojvodine (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  14. "Jedna od najvećih tragedija u istoriji Novog Sada: Četvoro dece poginulo u požaru" [One of the greatest tragedies in the history of Novi Sad: Four children died in a fire]. BBC News na srpskom (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  15. "Il rogo alla discoteca Sabor ora c' è un indagato per i 4 morti - la Repubblica.it". Archivio - la Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved Jun 23, 2020.
  16. "Le vittime del rogo al Sabor Latino: il dj, le colf e il ragazzo rumeno - Corriere Roma". roma.corriere.it (in Italian). Retrieved Jun 23, 2020.
  17. "Cuatro jóvenes de origen latinoamericano mueren en incendio en Roma". andina.pe (in Spanish). 14 March 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  18. "Nine die in pub fire in Taiwan". Sydney Morning Herald. 2011-03-06.
  19. "Taiwan nightclub fire kills 9". UPI. 2011-03-06.
  20. "9 die in night club fire in central Taiwan city of Taichung". The China Post. 2011-03-06. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011.
  21. "Godišnjica požara u diskoteci "Kontrast": "Da svi odgovorni budu sankcionisani"" [Anniversary of the fire in the "Kontrast" discotheque: "Let all those responsible be punished"]. N1 (in Serbian (Latin script)). 1 April 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  22. "Šestoro mrtvih u požaru u diskoteci "Kontrast" u Novom Sadu" [Six dead in fire at "Kontrast" disco in Novi Sad]. JMU Radio-televizija Vojvodine (in Serbian (Latin script)). 1 April 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  23. "Owner Walks Free Despite Four Dying In Disco Fire". Stickboy Bangkok. 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  24. "Four killed in disco fire at Phuket club". CNN. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  25. "Hanoi karaoke bar blaze kills at least 13". Vietnam Plus. 2 November 2016.
  26. "16 killed in local karaoke bar fire in Myanmar". Daily Sabah. 3 April 2017.
  27. "Cameroon nightclub fire: More than a dozen dead in Yaounde blaze". Al Jazeera. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  28. "At Least 19 Dead In Stabbing, Fire At Indonesian Night Club". Agence France-Presse. NDTV. 25 January 2022.
  29. "Nightclub fire that killed 13 'started by Russian soldier told to return to frontline'". The Telegraph. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  30. "Russian Nightclub Fire Kills 13; One Person Arrested". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  31. "Arson at karaoke bar in Vietnam's Hanoi kills 11, police say". Al Jazeera. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  32. "Dozens feared dead in North Macedonian nightclub fire". BBC News. 2025-03-16. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  33. "North Macedonia nightclub fire death toll rises to 60 after burn victim dies". EuroNews. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.