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At least 13 killed in Spain nightclub fire

At least 13 people have died following a fire that spread to three nightclubs in Murcia, south-east Spain, in the early hours of yesterday (1 October).

The blaze, which is believed to be the country’s deadliest nightclub fire since 43 people were killed in Zaragoza in 1990, reportedly broke out in the La Fonda Milagros club in the Atalayas area at around 6am, before engulfing the neighbouring Teatre and Golden.

According to the BBC, it is not yet clear what caused the fire, but it is understood to have broken out on the first floor of La Fonda.

The Guardian reports that Murcia city council says that it appears that the Teatre and La Fonda Milagros nightclubs had been operating without a licence since January last year after planning concerns were raised about the decision to split the original Teatre club into two venues.

“We’re talking about an unprecedented tragedy and we will determine responsibility for what happened whatever the cost”

Murcia’s councillor for urban planning Antonio Navarro, said the clubs had been ordered to close in October 2022, and said the council would be taking legal action against the company that owns them.

“We will find out who bears responsibility for what has happened,” Navarro told today’s press conference. “We will be taking action against the Teatre company for failing to comply with the orders to cease [their activities]. We’re talking about an unprecedented tragedy and we will determine responsibility for what happened whatever the cost.”

The victims included Spanish, Colombian, Nicaraguan and Ecuadorian nationals. In addition, 24 people were injured, with four treated in hospital for smoke inhalation, while five others who were unaccounted for and feared dead having now been located.

“La Fonda wishes to express its condolences to the relatives of the fatal victims of the fire… and to convey all our support to the people injured in this tragic incident,” says a social media post from the venue. “We are collaborating with the authorities, in whom we fully trust for the clarification of the facts… until the investigation that determines the real cause of what happened is completed.”

 


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Small fire breaks out at Panic! At The Disco show

A fire broke out on stage during Panic! At The Disco’s concert in Minnesota, US, on Wednesday night (15 September).

Footage shot by fans and posted on social media showed a blaze in the corner of the stage at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center while the band were performing.

It appears a member of the crew extinguished the flames as the band continued to play, with frontman Brendon Urie seemingly unaware of the incident.

The fire remained small and contained on the stage. No injuries were reported from inside the arena, which held about 7,500 fans, according to the Pioneer Press.

It is believed that the fire was a result of pyrotechnics used as part of Panic at the Disco’s show. At the time of writing, neither the band nor the venue has commented.

Panic! At The Disco are currently on the US leg of their Viva Las Vengeance 2022/23 global arena tour.

 


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Fifteen killed in ‘inferno’ at music pub in Thailand

Fifteen people were killed and dozens badly injured by a fire that broke out at a music pub in eastern Thailand.

The blaze at the Mountain B pub, in the Sattahip district of Chonburi province, was reported at around 12.45 am on 5 August, according to police.

At least 100 pub-goers were listening to live music in the pub when a fire broke out in the roof above the stage. Videos on social media showed thick black smoke and then flames pouring from the front entrance as people attempted to flee, some with their clothing on fire.

Thirteen people died at the scene, with the death toll since rising to 15.

A spokesperson for Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital said 15 patients required intubation, with most suffering third-degree burns over more than 60% of their bodies. Two patients were transferred to a hospital in Bangkok for advanced treatment.

An electrical short circuit near the stage is initially thought to have been the cause of the tragedy, according to Chonburi deputy governor Naris Niramaiwong.

Flames poured from the front entrance as people attempted to flee, some with their clothing on fire

After an initial investigation by the police, it was found that at least one exit door was locked when the fire broke out and that the pub was lined with flammable soundproofing.

Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said that the venue did not have a pub licence and was built in an area where entertainment venues were prohibited, while Pol Maj Gen Atthasit Kitjahan, commander of the Chonburi police, added that the premises was licensed to operate as a restaurant and had been illegally altered.

Mountain B owner Pongsiri Panprasong has been charged for causing death through recklessness and operating a pub without a licence. Panprasong’s lawyer says he has confessed to all charges.

Prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has urged business operators and officials to ensure that safety measures are in place for entertainment venues nationwide.

The blaze at Mountain B pub comes 13 years after a similar incident at Santika nightclub in Bangkok on 1 January 2009. Sixty-six people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a New Year’s Eve celebration at the club. The blaze began on the ceiling above a stage, apparently sparked by an indoor fireworks display. Toxic smoke flooded the venue and contributed to the death toll as the entire club caught fire.

The fires in Thailand echo similar tragedies such at the unlicensed Ghost Ship in California, where an electrical fire sent the converted warehouse up in flames,  The Station in Rhode Island, where pyrotechnics ignited inflammable insulation foam during a concert by Great White, and Colectiv in Bucharest, where band Goodbye to Gravity and hundreds of clubgoers were caught in an almost identical blaze.

 


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Brussels’ Centre for Fine Arts to close after fire

Brussels’ Centre for Fine Arts (cap. 2,100), also known as Bozar, has closed for at least a week after a fire broke out on the roof of the building yesterday afternoon (18 January).

Nearly 100 firefighters attended the scene after eyewitnesses reported large plumes of smoke coming from the roof of the multi-purpose venue at around 4:15 pm CET.

The blaze, which did not spread beyond the roof, was under control by around 9 pm local time. Two firefighters were injured during the process though no other casualties were reported as the building was closed at the time.

“Around midnight, most of the means deployed left the scene, but a fire engine remained on site all night to ensure a fire picket,” said the spokesman of the Brussels fire department, Walter Derieuw.

While the fire did not damage any major work in the Centre for Fine Arts, a complete review of the damage is yet to be undertaken. The cause of the fire remains unknown but investigations are expected to commence today.

 


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$33m settlement for Ghost Ship fire lawsuits

The city of Oakland has reached a $32.7 million settlement with the families of those killed by the tragic blaze at  unlicensed music venue and artists’ collective Ghost Ship in 2016.

The fire, which was the worst structural disaster in northern California since the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, killed 36 people in total, most of whom were at Ghost Ship for an electronic music party.

The Oakland City Council has now authorised the settlements of lawsuits filed by the families of 32 victims.

“This was a horrific tragedy that deeply impacted every corner of our community,” reads a statement from the city attorney’s office. According to the statement, the city decided to settle because of the possible legal costs, and does not acknowledge any liability for the incident.

“This was a horrific tragedy that deeply impacted every corner of our community”

Prosecutors contend that Derick Almena, the master tenant on the warehouse lease, was criminally negligent when he converted and sublet the space as a residence for artists and an event venue.

Almena was charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter, with a retrial – following an initial mistrial – scheduled for October. A co-defendant, Max Harris, was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter charges last year, while the building’s owner, Chor Ng, has not been charged with a crime.

The blaze, which was believed to have been caused by an electrical fire, echoed another tragic incident at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, the same year, which claimed the lives of 64 people.

Last year, prison sentences were handed out to 13 people in conjunction with the Colectiv fire, including the venue owners, pyrotechnic specialists and city officials.

Photo: Jim Heaphy/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) (cropped)

 


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Koko London roof damaged by fire

London’s Koko has been damaged in a blaze that broke out on its roof shortly before 9pm last night (6 January).

The historic 1,410-cap. venue, in Camden, north London, has been closed for refurbishment since September 2018 when it shut its doors in order to fix a “structural issue within the building”. Koko, formerly the Camden Theatre, the Music Machine and, most recently, Camden Palace, was built in 1900 and grade II listed.

Photos posted on social media appeared to show around a third of the roof on fire before the London Fire Brigade (LFB) extinguished the blaze.

LFB station commander Jon Lewis, who was at the scene, says the fire was under control by 2.37am this morning.

“Firefighters’ quick action and hard work in the early stages meant the fire was contained to the roof and saved the rest of the building,” says Lewis. “Fire crews will remain at the scene throughout the morning.”

“The amount of support we have received from the public has been amazing”

Olly Bengough, owner of Koko, comments: “We are deeply saddened by the fire that took place at KOKO last tonight and pleased to announce there have been no casualties.

“We want to thank the London Fire Brigade for its quick response and how well it handled the situation.

“The amount of support we have received from the public has been amazing, and we’ll be doing our best to get the redevelopment of this iconic building back on track. We will provide further comments as circumstances become clearer.”

 


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Thirteen convicted over Bucharest nightclub fire

A court in the Romanian capital of Bucharest has today (Monday 16 December) handed prison sentences to 13 people in conjunction with a deadly fire that broke out in the 700-capacity Colectiv nightclub in 2015.

The blaze, which started after fireworks ignited inflammable acoustic foam at a show by metalcore band Goodbye to Gravity on 30 October 2015, killed 64 people, including four of the five band members.

The tragic fire sparked sweeping reforms to both venue regulation and the political system in Romania. However, many criticised a lack of punishment for those who played a role in the tragedy.

Now, over four years since the incident, the first convictions have been made, with 13 individuals deemed responsible for the fire receiving a combined 115 years and six months in prison.

In addition to the prison time, the Bucharest court ordered authorities found guilty of negligence to pay €50 million to the survivors of the fire and the families of those who died. Individual amounts range from €50,000 to €900,000.

Colectiv’s owners Anastasescu George Alin, Mincu Costin and Gancea Paul-Cătălin are each facing prison sentences of eleven years and eight months.

Now, over four years since the incident, the first convictions have been made

Niţă Daniela Ioana, the owner of the company that supplied the fireworks, received a sentence of twelve years and eight months in prison, whereas fellow owner Niţă Cristian Mihai was sentenced to three years and six months.

Zaharia Viorel and Moise Marian, pyrotechnic experts working on the show, received sentences of nine years and eight months and ten years in prison respectively.

The former mayor of Bucharest’s sector 4 municipality was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for issuing operating permits to Colectiv, with other local politicians receiving sentences of between three and eight years.

Two firemen were each handed sentences of nine years and two months.

All convictions can be challenged in a higher court.

A documentary entitled Colectiv, which follows the aftermath of the fire and ensuing anti-corruption investigations, premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.

Photo: Eugen Simion/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0

 


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Fire forces evacuation of Croatian hip-hop fest

Attendees of Fresh Island festival in Croatia were today (16 July) evacuated following the breakout of a fire close to the festival site.

Organisers of the 7,000-capacity hip hop festival transported fans offsite after reports emerged last night (15 July) of a forest fire near to the festival site on Zrce beach, on the Croatian island of Pag.

Emergency services were still working to contain the fire this morning.

Following the evacuation, the Fresh Island team said they were unsure how the fire would affect today’s beach performances. Headliner Tyga was due to play at Papaya nightclub (4,000-cap.), one of the evacuated venues. Other artists scheduled to perform include Tory Lanez, Stefflon Don and Hardy Caprio.

 

“We would like to say a big thank you to all Fresh Islanders who were at the festival for being so patient and supportive of each other and for cooperating with security and emergency services during the fire to stay safe,” read a festival Twitter post.

Organisers have confirmed that no casualties have occurred and “everyone is safe”. Updates will be published through the festival’s social media pages.

Fresh Island festival is scheduled to take place from until Thursday 17 July. Past acts to play the festival include  Wiz Khalifa, Migos, ASAP Rocky, Snoop Dogg, Stormzy and Giggs.

Update: festival organisers announce that, following the clearance of the fire, Fresh Island is “to continue as planned with no further disruptions.”

 


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Entertainment business pledges Notre-Dame rebuilding

Leading French entertainment and leisure business leaders have answered president Emmanuel Macron’s call to pledge resources to rebuild Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral, after last night’s devastating fire.

Billionaires François-Henri Pinault, president of investment company Groupe Artémis, and Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of luxury-goods conglomerate LVMH, have respectively promised donations of €100 million and €200m, kicking off a wave of corporate giving in response to Macron’s launch of a national subscription to rebuild Notre-Dame.

In addition to its controlling interest in luxury-goods group Kering (which owns Gucci, Yves St Laurent and the Stella McCartney fashion house), Pinault’s Artémis group is a major player in the French sports and entertainment business, owning the Stade Rennais football club, cruise ship operator Ponant, Paris creperie Breizh Café and the Red River West tech investment fund. It also formerly held a 25% stake in Fnac Darty and owned and operated the Marigny Theatre (1,024-cap.) in Paris.

LVMH (Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy), meanwhile, is also a major investor in luxury goods, with subsidiaries including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Givenchi and Hublot. Its entertainment holdings include hotel chain Cheval Blanc, radio station Radio Classique and private-equity firm L Catterton Asia, whose investments include K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment (home to Coachella 2019 performers Blackpink).

“The partial destruction of Notre Dame is an unqualified tragedy”

“The Arnault family and the LVMH group, in solidarity with this national tragedy, are committed to assist with the reconstruction of this extraordinary cathedral, symbol of France, its heritage and its unity,” reads a statement from LVMH, which adds that “all its teams – including creative, architectural and financial specialists” are at the disposal of the state “to help with the long work of reconstruction and fundraising”.

Other donors include IT services firm Capgemini, which has promised €1m, property developer Groupe Duval, which has pledged an unspecified amount, and construction company Vinci, majority owner of the 80,000-cap. Stade de France, which has also given an undisclosed sum.

In a statement, Vinci suggested the French construction industry should “join forces to rebuild Notre-Dame in an industry wide skills sponsorship drive, possibly led by the Fondation du Patrimoine (French Heritage Foundation), so as to begin work and restore Paris’s cathedral as rapidly as possible.

“Vinci is naturally intent on contributing to the national fundraiser and asking its employees to do likewise, assisting Monuments Historiques architects when they assess the requirements, and taking part in the reconstruction if authorities deem its contribution useful.”

“The partial destruction of Notre-Dame is an unqualified tragedy,” the company adds. “The 13th-century wooden beams holding up the roof will never be replaced. But the part of Notre-Dame that has survived the fire must be safeguarded. Then, as the French president has announced, the cathedral must rise again.”

“We built this cathedral more than 800 years ago … we will rebuild it together”

No cause has yet been established for the fire that started just before 7pm local time yesterday (15 April) and ripped through Notre-Dame for more than 12 hours. According to Le Monde, the 13th-century Gothic cathedral’s spire and roof collapsed, and considerable damage was caused to the interior, upper walls and windows, as well as numerous works of art and its world-famous pipe organs.

According to the Independent, Notre-Dame is by far by the most-visited tourist attraction in France (itself the most popular tourist destination on Earth), and the disaster is expected to have a significant impact on visitor numbers in Paris.

Announcing the fundraising effort to restore the church to its former glory, Macron – standing in front of the still-burning building yesterday – told reporters: “What happened tonight in Paris, in this cathedral, is a terrible event. […] “Notre-Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations – the epicentre of our lives.

“Notre-Dame is burning, and I know the sadness and this tremor felt by so many fellow French people. But tonight, I’d like to speak of hope too.

“Let’s be proud, because we built this cathedral more than 800 years ago, we’ve built it and, throughout the centuries, let it grow and improved it. So I solemnly say tonight: we will rebuild it together.”

 


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The show will go on for Echo Arena after fire

Echo Arena has confirmed its events programme will proceed as planned following the fire in its car park on new year’s eve.

The blaze broke out in the Liverpool Waterfront car park, adjacent to the arena, on 31 December during the final performance of the Liverpool International Horse Show. A total of 1,305 vehicles were in the multi-storey car park, which remains closed until further notice, when the fire broke out.

“We can confirm that our future events will be able to proceed as planned following the serious fire which was contained in the Liverpool Waterfront car park on new year’s eve,” says Bob Prattey, chief executive of arena operator ACC Liverpool Group. “We will continue to communicate with all our clients who are organising forthcoming conferences, exhibitions and entertainment events, as well as customers and delegates.

 

“We are sorry to … those people whose vehicles were in the car park and who have been affected by this terrible situation”

Fast and Furious Live preview performances will take place as planned at the 11,00-cap. arena next Thursday and Friday (11 and 12 January), followed by Celebrating Sgt Pepper: Live on 13 January.

“We are sorry to customers who were due to attend the evening performance of the Liverpool International Horse Show, which was cancelled as a result of the fire, as well as those people whose vehicles were in the car park and who have been affected by this terrible situation,” adds Prattey.

“We are extremely thankful to the emergency services for their efforts. We would also like to thank the people who kindly provided transport for customers to enable them to travel home, as well as Liverpool City Council for establishing a relief centre for those needing shelter.”

ACC Liverpool Group posted a 50% increase in turnover, to £25.8 million, in 2016–17.

 


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