CMU School of Drama


Sunday, September 28, 2008

Fireworks to blame for club blaze that killed 43

Scotsman.com News: "A FIRE has ripped through a nightclub in southern China, killing 43 people dead and leaving a further 88 injured.
Police said the blaze, which broke out late on Saturday night, had been triggered by fireworks ignited during a stage show."

11 comments:

AndrewLeitch said...

This is very unfortunate to hear. Government officials and technicians alike should realize the large danger in the entertainment industry and make laws, regulations, and equipment that is as safe as possible to protect workers and the public in these sorts of situations. While oftentimes when working in a theatre we admittedly push the rules as far as we can, it's also important to realize why their there.

I hope China, and the whole world, begins to take more into consideration when doing pyro in clubs and the try their upmost to keep people safe.

NorthSide said...

You would think that a country that that invented fireworks must be aware that no matter how safe you are there is no such thing as a guarantee.i can't tell who's do blame: the government and there relaxed safety codes or the technicians behind the fireworks. Either way, it's a severe example at just how much control a stagehand has over the audiences safety and there is a certain blind or naive trust there and we need to uphold it and do our best to assure it.

Anonymous said...

Having just recently read the National Fire Prevention Association rules on egress for class this is really unfortunate to read. It's a shame that regulations that can be easily followed and enforced municipally as well as federally cause the unnecessary deaths of people. What really gets me is that people didn't know that there was a back exit in the venue. Stringent regulations should be in place to prevent that from happening.

David Beller said...

Although a regulation is often viewed as something that is just put there to restrict, and thus we work toward bending that regulation as much as possible in order to get the desired effect, we must realize the initial reason that regulations exist. Most of the time they are put in place to safeguard all of the people having to come in contact with the object in question. Because of this it is important that regulations not be arbitrarily bent, but instead the reason behind the regulation must be understood before it is altered.

Anonymous said...

We joke when Holcomb is reading "Building Codes Illustrated" though these things are really important. The stringent and sometimes seemingly restrictive building codes that exist here in the US are there to help prevent accidents like this take such a high toll on the patrons of our entertainment venues. The article stated how the more lax laws in china are usually to blame for these incidents. This makes me think about How happy I am that there are laws in place to prevent this where I live that are more effectively enforced, in an attempt to keep things under control.

Anonymous said...

One would think that on the issue of safety, one country would look to the others in the world and see what they have learned. If they looked at all of the building codes in the US, they maybe this tragedy could have been avoided. This does however prove (once again as in many past instances) the point of the codes as we have been reading them in class. They do provide safety. I would like to see some data where all of these codes did save lives as opposed to the lack of them claiming lives.

Anonymous said...

I think it’s a little lame that the guy blamed the deaths on the building’s architecture. It seems like they’re not looking for the real problem, which seems to be a fire code issue. It’s always so sad when things like this happen. Especially since many times with the help of sprinklers, exit signs, fire extinguishers, and a little foresight can help.

Anonymous said...

it is so unfortunate for everyone. it also took the US government to establish the codes and procedures we have now. as we've discussed in class, nightclubs are even in more danger of catching a fire. it easily gets over-crowded. there are decorations on the wall that are not fire-retardant. i just hope we don't hear any more of these devastating stories of tragedy.

Unknown said...

It’s time for nightclubs to stop with the pyrotechnics. Every time I hear about a club fire it’s due to pyro. If I ever walk into a club or bar and see fireworks going off, I’m out of there. The problem isn’t really the pyro though. Yes it started the fire but what killed people was the lack of exit signs and good egress practices. Exit signs and a few less people in your club will cost you less money than a law suit and a federal investigation.

BWard said...

pyro indoors? what did they expect?

honestly, i think pyro should be banned indoors unless it's in an arena stage where there's >100' of overhead space. the pyro systems should also have water/extinguisher systems pointed at them at all times to prevent this sort of thing.

Ethan Weil said...

It's a shame to hear this happening again. It doesn't seem that long since last time we had a similar story. It does serve as a reminder that while we often find the strict rules about emergency lighting, exit markings, and other fire codes here, that not having them is far, far worse.