Brazil's safety laws questioned
SANTA MARIA, Brazil — Flammable and toxic foam soundproofing on the ceiling. Just one exit for a large club that could hold hundreds of people. Not a ceiling water sprinkler system in sight.
These are some of the main causes of the massive death toll in a nightclub fire in Brazil — and none broke any law, raising questions about safety regulations in a nation set to host the World Cup and Olympic Games.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press, including past building and fire safety plan permits issued to the Kiss club, where 234 people died within minutes in a fire early Sunday, showed that such deadly choices were within regulations.
“Do I agree with the fact that there was only one exit? No. Do I agree that the roof was covered with flammable material? No, I don’t,” said Maj. Gerson Pereira, an inspector with the local fire department. “I would have liked to shut down this place, but then the firefighters could be sued” because no law had been broken.
But the same documents also illustrate that other regulations were broken, including irregularities in the fire safety inspection of the club, as well as violations by the band the club hired whose pyrotechnics are blamed for causing the blaze. Police inspectors say any of these violations were reason enough to shut the club down.
One document shows that the club had already been labeled by fire officials as being at “medium” risk for having a fire. By state law, that designation requires that the club undergo annual inspections. But records show that the last inspection took place in August 2011.
Survivors have said that the club’s fire extinguishers failed to work in early attempts to battle the blaze. Under law, an extinguisher must have a receipt showing that it had been independently inspected within a year.
Marcelo Arigony, police investigator, said it was clear the extinguishers had not been inspected.
