BRAZIL NIGHTCLUB FIRE Brazil Nightclub Fire Raises Concerns For Local Bar Owners
Reported by: Dave Benton
Videographer: Jeremy Bias
Web Producer: Dave Benton
Reported: Jan. 27, 2013 9:29 PM EST
Updated: Jan. 28, 2013 11:28 AM EST
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
A blaze raced through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing 232 people as the air filled with deadly smoke and panicked party-goers stampeded toward the exits. Witnesses said that a flare or firework lit by band members may have started the fire.
The fire code in Brazil is the same as West Virginia. Mike Duda owns the Red Carpet Lounge in Charleston and says abiding by fire code is a must. "We have people on the patio and we have two exits and later at night we lock the back gate, you can go out but not in, so the exit is always there."
Kanawha County's Fire Coordinator C.W. Sigman trained in Brazil with a firefighter exchange program. "It brings back some concerns we have in the area. It's happened here before in the U.S. and it's a terrible tragedy."
Sigman says some night clubs block or lock back doors and that creates problems. Sigman said, "I'd implore people to check exits when they go into a place. Make sure there are sprinkles and exits are open. People need to take responsibility, make sure there's another way out."
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Dave Benton
