Several images of the charred ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ have surfaced after a massive fire raged through the nightclub in the early hours of Sunday, killing 25 people. All the victims of the incident have been identified, which includes 20 staff members and five tourists.
Officials said the blast was reportedly so powerful that the flames engulfed the entire building within seconds, leaving little time for those inside to escape.
‘Birch By Romeo Lane’ is located near the backwaters of the Arpora River and has a narrow entry and exit. The nightclub promotes itself as an “island club” and is connected to the main road through narrow lanes.
The narrow lanes proved tricky after the blaze because fire engines could not reach the club and had to be parked about 400 metres away.
A senior fire officer told PTI that the narrow access made it difficult to reach the club, delaying the firefighting exercise. He said many of the deaths were caused by suffocation after the victims were trapped in the smoke.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said such an incident has happened for the first time in Goa. “From my preliminary inquiry, it appears the fire started on the upper floor. Because the doors were very congested, some people managed to escape, but once the fire intensified, others could not get out. Many who moved towards the underground area died due to suffocation because there was no proper ventilation,” he said.
The nightclub has been sealed for now, and questioning of the owners and management is currently underway. As per initial information, the club had not abided by the fire safety norms.