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Thursday, January 15, 2026
A look at some of the worst fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues
PBS News: A fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year's Day has left dozens of people presumed dead and around 100 injured, according to authorities.
Well, this was a depressing article to read. I think it is a sobering reminder that a lot of people rely on the work that we do. When we are working in a busy theater full of people we need to care about the safety of ourselves, but mostly the patrons of the venue. About half of the fires on this list were caused by pyrotechnics, and many others were made significantly more dangerous by not following standard fire safety procedures. I think this is a good reminder that it is probably not a good idea to set off fireworks inside crowded clubs, particularly not without stringent safety precautions. It was also interesting to me how many of these stories involved venues that were not obeying fire code. Capacity limits can often be frustrating from the perspective of a producer because it limits the number of paying audience members that you can fit, but there is a good reason for it and the rules have been written in blood.
One of the most important things to pay attention to in stories like this one is what happens afterwards. Companies and bands need to learn from each other’s mistakes especially when these mistakes cost lives. Five of the fires in this list were at least suspected to be caused by fireworks being set off indoors, and many of them spread quickly and killed as many of them as they did because of flammable foam, or other materials on the ceilings. While reading this article can put a damper on anyone’s enthusiasm to attend events in clubs, it is important to remember that these stories are the worst case scenarios, and that there are a lot of regulations that have been put in place to ensure that spaces like clubs and venues are safer. It’s important to not let this article and those like it turn you off of attending music or community events. Interacting with a community at venues like these can bring joy and a strong sense of connection within a community.
I this this article emphasizes something every important about our industry and adjacent industries. Safety must always come first. Fire regulations and rules aren’t to be taken lightly and should be enforced. Perhaps even more should be put in place. Of course, the unfortunate reality is that accidents happen and that sometimes, even if you are as safe and strict as possible, things can still go wrong. However, by being as safe and strict as possible, the chances of those sorts of accidents decreases significantly, and thus less of these fires happen. None of this is to say that all these fires were caused due to people being irresponsible, but a lot of fires in history usually have that root cause. Also, there are fires in the article that were started purposefully to be violent, and that calls for more surveillance and security at such events. If someone had noticed sooner and stopped the person setting the fire, people wouldn't have died or been injured.
One of the biggest priorities that has been really reinforced and talked about over and over in the school of drama is fire safety. I think that this article really is a good reminder that not just theaters but other performance and entertainment venues need to be better equipped and better protected against fire. Not only when thinking about what decorations there will be and what electrics there will be and how those are being rigged,how the cables are being tied up. But also thinking about how the exit strategy is going to work in a room that is small and packed with people like a nightclub. How people are going to get out in an emergency needs to be integral to the construction. That seems like a huge pitfall. It seems like what happened at these venues is people's ability to leave. I think this tells us that we really need to enhance precautionary measures and also emergency situation planning and escape routes.
Safety first, right? It looks like a lot of these incidents were caused by some sort of gross negligence on behalf of the organizers of the events in which these tragedies took place. A common theme I see is “caused by fireworks” in a lot of the incidents from past decades. I think this just emphasizes the importance of common sense in our work environment, as there’s so many opportunities for things to go horribly wrong. Especially when the public is involved in venue spaces, there is no limit to the extent to which we, as professionals, should go to ensure the safety of everyone involved. I am optimistic for a future in which these incidents and fatalities are a sad truth of the past but until we live in a world in which safety comes before profit I don’t think that will ever one hundred percent become a reality.
5 comments:
Well, this was a depressing article to read. I think it is a sobering reminder that a lot of people rely on the work that we do. When we are working in a busy theater full of people we need to care about the safety of ourselves, but mostly the patrons of the venue. About half of the fires on this list were caused by pyrotechnics, and many others were made significantly more dangerous by not following standard fire safety procedures. I think this is a good reminder that it is probably not a good idea to set off fireworks inside crowded clubs, particularly not without stringent safety precautions. It was also interesting to me how many of these stories involved venues that were not obeying fire code. Capacity limits can often be frustrating from the perspective of a producer because it limits the number of paying audience members that you can fit, but there is a good reason for it and the rules have been written in blood.
One of the most important things to pay attention to in stories like this one is what happens afterwards. Companies and bands need to learn from each other’s mistakes especially when these mistakes cost lives. Five of the fires in this list were at least suspected to be caused by fireworks being set off indoors, and many of them spread quickly and killed as many of them as they did because of flammable foam, or other materials on the ceilings. While reading this article can put a damper on anyone’s enthusiasm to attend events in clubs, it is important to remember that these stories are the worst case scenarios, and that there are a lot of regulations that have been put in place to ensure that spaces like clubs and venues are safer. It’s important to not let this article and those like it turn you off of attending music or community events. Interacting with a community at venues like these can bring joy and a strong sense of connection within a community.
I this this article emphasizes something every important about our industry and adjacent industries. Safety must always come first. Fire regulations and rules aren’t to be taken lightly and should be enforced. Perhaps even more should be put in place. Of course, the unfortunate reality is that accidents happen and that sometimes, even if you are as safe and strict as possible, things can still go wrong. However, by being as safe and strict as possible, the chances of those sorts of accidents decreases significantly, and thus less of these fires happen. None of this is to say that all these fires were caused due to people being irresponsible, but a lot of fires in history usually have that root cause. Also, there are fires in the article that were started purposefully to be violent, and that calls for more surveillance and security at such events. If someone had noticed sooner and stopped the person setting the fire, people wouldn't have died or been injured.
One of the biggest priorities that has been really reinforced and talked about over and over in the school of drama is fire safety. I think that this article really is a good reminder that not just theaters but other performance and entertainment venues need to be better equipped and better protected against fire. Not only when thinking about what decorations there will be and what electrics there will be and how those are being rigged,how the cables are being tied up. But also thinking about how the exit strategy is going to work in a room that is small and packed with people like a nightclub. How people are going to get out in an emergency needs to be integral to the construction. That seems like a huge pitfall. It seems like what happened at these venues is people's ability to leave. I think this tells us that we really need to enhance precautionary measures and also emergency situation planning and escape routes.
Safety first, right? It looks like a lot of these incidents were caused by some sort of gross negligence on behalf of the organizers of the events in which these tragedies took place. A common theme I see is “caused by fireworks” in a lot of the incidents from past decades. I think this just emphasizes the importance of common sense in our work environment, as there’s so many opportunities for things to go horribly wrong. Especially when the public is involved in venue spaces, there is no limit to the extent to which we, as professionals, should go to ensure the safety of everyone involved. I am optimistic for a future in which these incidents and fatalities are a sad truth of the past but until we live in a world in which safety comes before profit I don’t think that will ever one hundred percent become a reality.
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