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LA wildfires: Industry grapples with ongoing devastation

As wildfires across Los Angeles rage on, the global music industry continues to grapple with the devastating crisis.

The 67th annual Grammy Awards, set for 2 February at Ingelwood’s Crypto.com Arena (cap. 20,000), is still projected to go on.

“This year’s show, however, will carry a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honouring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

Yet, Universal Music Group (UMG) has cancelled all Grammy-related events, and will instead “redirect the resources that would have been used for those events to assist those affected by the wildfires,” the firm wrote. UMG historically coordinates an artist showcase and awards after-party around the event.

“L.A. is home to so many of us. We are committed to helping and supporting the music community, our artists, our teams and the people of Los Angeles get through this horrific episode.”

After donating $2.5 million in relief efforts yesterday, Beyoncé has postponed today’s rumoured tour announcement.

“I will continue to pray for healing and rebuilding for the families suffering from trauma and loss. We are so blessed to have brave first responders who continue to work tirelessly to protect the Los Angeles community,” she says.

“My focus remains on supporting the recovery of these communities and aiding its incredible people as they rebuild”

The Weeknd has postponed the release of his new album Hurry Up Tomorrow by one week to 31 January and cancelled a one-off show at the Rose Bowl Stadium (89,702) on 25 January.

“This city has always been a profound source of inspiration for me, and my thoughts are with everyone impacted during this difficult time … My focus remains on supporting the recovery of these communities and aiding its incredible people as they rebuild,” he says.

Donations have been pouring in to aid in the city’s recovery. Sony Corporation will donate $5m in emergency aid and rebuilding efforts, while AEG donated $1m as part of a greater $8m package from 12 professional sports teams.

Metallica, through its All Within My Hands Foundation, has donated $500,000 to various funds supporting recovery efforts.

“In the past week, the community has suffered at least 24 lives lost, nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders, 40,000 acres burned, and more than 12,000 structures—commercial and residential—destroyed. However, numbers cannot articulate the magnitude of anguish as the disaster upends families and dismantles livelihoods,” the band wrote online.

Other organisations are staging benefit events. Independent promoter Another Planet Entertainment has partnered with IHEARTCOMIX, Brownies & Lemonade and Teragram to present LA Gives Back: Fire Relief at The Bellwether (1,600). The 7th edition of the event, which is set to feature multiple stages, will see 100% of the funds raised go to charity.

“Los Angeles is home to a vibrant independent creative community – we’re proud to open our stage in support of our neighbours who lost everything in this disaster,” says Casey Lowdermilk, The Bellwether general manager.

FireAid, organised by Live Nation, AEG Presents and the Azoff family, will precede the Grammys on 30 January at the neighbouring Intuit Dome (18,000). Performers are expected to be announced in the coming days.

“We are devastated by the impact of the fires in our community and are grieving alongside our city”

Dance music promoter Insomniac Events announced a series of benefit events with “100% of the net proceeds [going] directly to assist those in need.” Details will be announced this week.

Even still, show disruptions are rife. Young The Giant’s two The Troubadour (500) shows, set to celebrate their debut self-titled album and 10 years of their sophomore Mind Over Matter, have been pushed to 4-5 September.

“We are devastated by the impact of the fires in our community and are grieving alongside our city. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the first responders and emergency personnel working tirelessly to protect lives and contain fires,” the band wrote.

The blazes have ripped through more than 40,000 acres since igniting last week, causing more than 150,000 people to evacuate and burning 12,000 structures, according to NPR. At least 24 people have been killed, with the cause of the widespread fires’ initial spark currently unknown.

The economic damage could top $50 billion and may rank as one of the most costly natural disasters in US history, according to the Los Angeles Times.

 

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Dozens hurt in German festival ferris wheel fire

Dozens of people were injured when two gondolas on a ferris wheel caught fire at Germany’s Highfield festival.

The incident took place at around 9pm on Saturday (17 August) – the second night of the Leipzig event – during a set by rapper Ski Aggu.

Police say that 65 people were treated in connection with the fire, with 16 taken to hospital for further medical treatment. Four of the casualties suffered burns and another was hurt in a fall, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Initial reports suggested material located under the ferris wheel caught fire before spreading to an empty gondola, which subsequently spread to a second.

Police say the investigation into the cause has now been completed.

“There is currently no indication that the fire was caused intentionally,” says a statement from Saxony Police. “A technical defect in the ride can also be ruled out as the cause of the fire based on the current state of the investigation. The investigations, particularly into negligent misconduct, are still ongoing.”

“We would like to thank everyone present for impressively showing how solidarity works, even in a difficult situation”

The scene around the ferris wheel was cordoned off, with organisers announcing at 10pm that the festival would resume with an amended timetable. Acts over the course of the weekend included Rise Against, CRO, The Kooks, Peter Fox, Provinz and Martimoto.

A joint venture by promoters FKP Scorpio and Semmel Concerts, the 35,000-cap festival was held at Störmthaler Lake between 16-18 August.

“We would like to thank everyone present for impressively showing how solidarity works, even in a difficult situation,” says Stephan Thanscheidt, FKP MD and head of festival bookings. “When the first gondola of the ferris wheel caught fire, first responders from the security service and the festival crew, emergency services, police and fire brigade ensured that all occupants were evacuated as quickly as possible and that the fire was brought under control in just a few minutes. We wish the injured a speedy recovery.

“Our thanks also go to all our guests, whose exemplary behaviour made the rescue work much easier, and to our amazing artists, who despite everything made Highfield a great music festival and peacefully stood up for diversity and solidarity through music.”

In an Instagram post, Ski Aggu says he was advised by festival staff to continue his performance to avoid causing panic.

“I was only told in my ear that I should not cancel the show under any circumstances but should first remain in dialogue with you so that there is no mass panic,” he says. “For me, the priority was that the situation did not escalate further, which fortunately also worked. Thank you for staying so calm and possibly preventing worse. The decisive factor for this was above all the work of the rescue workers, who reacted so quickly and thus prevented the situation from worsening.”

Leipzig district administrator Henry Graichen and mayor Daniel Strobel thanked the emergency services “for their quick and courageous intervention”, as well as praising promoters’ “professional handling of this challenging situation”.

“Since the Highfield Festival took place for the first time at Störmthaler Lake in 2010, a relationship of trust has developed between the actors involved, which enabled rapid action in this specific exceptional situation,” they say. “The operation will soon be evaluated in detail in order to draw possible conclusions for the security concept of future festivals.”

Highfield, which will return on 15-17 August next year, has already announced its K.I.Z as its first 2025 headliner. Festival passes go on sale today from €169.

 

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Odesza show evacuated after pyro causes brush fire

A gig by electronic music duo Odesza was cut short and the venue evacuated after pyrotechnics used for the show caused a fire to break out.

The incident occurred at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, US, on Saturday (6 July), as the band were nearing the end of their set.

“The incident commander at The Gorge confirms that there was a small brush fire last night during the Odesza show,” says a spokesperson for Grant County Sheriff’s Office. “Nobody was injured and firefighters put out the fire. The cause was pyrotechnics used during the show.

“The fire burned a small area adjacent to the concert venue. The remainder of the show was cancelled and concertgoers exited the concert venue.”

“Out of an abundance of caution and safety, the show ended without an encore”

https://twitter.com/dancingastro/status/1809960593266512077

The concert was the duo’s third in a row at the 27,500-cap outdoor site and marked the final date of their The Last Goodbye Tour.

“During the last song of Odesza’s set at the Gorge, a brush fire broke out not far from the stage,” says a statement from the Gorge. “The fire was contained and fortunately was quickly extinguished.

“Out of an abundance of caution and safety, the show ended without an encore. We truly appreciate everyone coming tonight and celebrating the end of the tour.”

 

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Dozens die in Istanbul nightclub inferno

At least 29 people were killed, and several more injured by a fire at a nightclub in Istanbul on Wednesday (3 April).

The daytime inferno happened as workers were in the basement of the Masquerade club, which had been undergoing renovations.

Authorities stated that the victims of the blaze were all thought to have been involved in the renovation project, which was taking place during Ramadan ahead of the club’s scheduled reopening at the Eid holiday, next week.

Situated on the ground floor and basement levels of a high-rise building in the residential Gayrettepe district of Istanbul, the venue is apparently being treated as a crime scene, with Istanbul governor Davut Gül noting that the cause of the mid-day fire was yet to be determined.

However, police issued warrants for the arrest of eight people, including the nightclub manager and a person responsible for the renovations, as part of their investigations. At press time, six people had reportedly been arrested, while warrants are outstanding for others.

Turkish television showed flames and a columns of smoke billowing from upper floor windows as the fire spread up the 16-storey building

Emergency services were alerted to the inferno at 12:47 pm and firefighters faced the grim task of finding bodies and rescuing severely injured victims as they battled for several hours to bring the blaze under control. Throughout the afternoon, the governor’s office was forced to increase the death toll in ever more shocking updates as more victims succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

Images from Turkish television showed flames and columns of smoke billowing from upper floor windows as the fire spread up the 16-storey building, but it is believed all the deaths had been individuals who were in the club premises.

As investigations began, Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, revealed that the club’s operators had not applied for the correct construction permit. “There is no application [to the local municipality] for a renovation or a construction regarding the place and as it was two floors down from the ground level, it [the work] wasn’t visible,” he said.

On a later post on X, formerly Twitter, Imamoglu added, “May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured.”

The venue could apparently host up to 4,000 people for DJ performances and stage shows

The Masquerade website notes that the club would be closed from 10 March to 10 April for “our new design renovation”. The venue could apparently host up to 4,000 people for DJ performances and stage shows, according to local reports.

The tragedy evokes memories of similar venue tragedies in the likes of Brazil, Romania, and the United States over the past decade. In January 2013, 242 people – mostly university students – died, and more than 600 others were injured when acoustic foam in the ceiling of the Kiss nightclub in the southern Brazilian city of  Santa Maria.

In December 2016, 36 people died when fire broke out in the unlicensed Ghost Ship venue in Oakland, California, while in 2003, a fire at the Station nightclub in Rhode Island claimed 100 lives, and injured 230 others, with investigators again pointing to pyrotechnics setting light to the venue’s acoustic foam.

And in 2015, 64 revellers lost their lives when pyrotechnics caused a devastating blaze at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest.

 

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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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