An occasional writer's journal

Today’s national day of mourning declared by President Dmitry Medvedev after a nightclub fire in the Russian city of Perm killed 112 people and injured 120 is a gesture that will do little to prevent further tragedies.

The horrific blaze at the Lame Horse club was caused by illegal fireworks or pyrotechnics igniting flammable ceiling materials, although most of the victims were trampled during a stampede to escape via the club’s only exit, according to initial reports. Twigs attached to plastic sheeting, apparently a tacky attempt to create an ambiance, reportedly caught fire in seconds.

A memorial service in Perm's Svyato-Troitsky (Holy Trinity) Cathedral for victims of the Lame Horse nightclub blaze (photo: RIA Novosti).

As expected, the local authorities have arrested the owner and four employees they consider relevant to an inquiry into the circumstances of the fire, although the fact the club had previously been fined for safety breaches might leave relatives of the dead and dying wondering why it was allowed to open at all.

Russia Today quoted a lawyer, Aleksandr Fomenko, who said the Perm city administration was ultimately responsible for ensuring safety standards were being met at the club. “People will demand that the authorities who issued the permits for this club are punished,” he said, “And of course the whole corrupted system has to be changed.”

That comment will be familiar to anybody who has been injured or lost a loved one in similar circumstances across the world. A catalogue of nightclub fires have been caused in part by owners putting profits before investment in fire safety modifications and public officials giving in to the lure of bribery and corruption.

This blog has highlighted some of the tragedies involving nightclubs and lax fire safety inspections and enforcement. Please check out my other posts, Scapegoats and slapped wrists after Bangkok blaze and In Bangkok, footprints of another nightclub inferno.

In the latter article, I examine the blaze at the República Cromañón club in Buenos Aires, Argentina, caused by a flare set off during a rock concert in December, 2005, which caused the deaths of 194 (mainly young) people and injured 714 others.

Cromañón’s flamboyant owner Omar Chabán was finally convicted in August  2009 of bribery and reckless endangerment, a charge akin to manslaughter, and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, subject to appeal. The trial heard that botched fireproofing, corruption and/or mismanagement by public officials were all factors in the tragedy. It also beggars belief that fire exits were tied shut with wire to prevent further entry to an already-overcrowded venue. Significantly, the deaths of 100 people in a club blaze in Rhode Island should have emphasised the importance of keeping all exits clear and fitting doors with panic push bars.

I interviewed Chabán at a secret address during his self-imposed confinement on bail during the run up to the trial, and it was not surprising to hear him blame the very regulators he was alleged to have corrupted. Passing the buck by blaming the “system” seemed to be his main line of defence.

The Argentine court acquitted rock band Callejeros of any responsibility as it became clear that the cause of the Cromañón blaze was indeed systemic. A police officer and three fire safety officials were also given jail terms.

It goes without saying that bribery was a factor in the circumstances of the Santika nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand, where 64 people died during the New Year Eve celebrations of 2008. Nearly a year later, nobody has been jailed and bereaved relatives are still fighting for fair compensation.

Russia’s response to the Perm disaster — three days of mourning including today’s national day with the media discouraged from offering light entertainment — is entirely in keeping with the scale of the disaster, even for such a massive country where an estimated 18,000 people die in fires each year. However, once the smoke has cleared and the sorrow lifted, it remains to be seen what lessons will be acted upon.

Video courtesy of RIA Novosti.