República Cromañón nightclub fire

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Relatives of the deceased in the fire light candles in a public protest against the perceived lack of control by the government.

Makeshift memorial for the dead

República Cromañón (Spanish for "Cro-Magnon Republic") was a nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

On 30 December 2004, a fire broke out in the club, killing 194 people and injuring 714 others. The venue was playing host to rock group Callejeros and around 3,000 people were in attendance. The blaze was started when a pyrotechnic flare (a popular device in New Year's Eve celebrations) was set off and ignited foam in the ceiling. The materials used in the building for decoration were flammable: mostly wood, styrofoam, acoustic panels and a plastic net (a so-called media sombra). This plastic net was hung from the ceiling and caught fire first, melting into a rain of fire. In some parts of the building, teddy bear stuffing was used as a cheap alternative to wool fiber. The owner and the band's lead singer had told the patrons not to use flares inside the building.

Four of the six doors, some of which were fire exits, were chained shut so that "people would not enter without paying", according to mayor Aníbal Ibarra. Most of the victims died from inhaling poisonous gases, smoke and carbon monoxide, unlike most accidents of this kind, where most die from crushing or burning. Speculation was that there was a nursery room in the ladies' restroom but this has been proven false.

Following the disaster, an Argentine judge issued a national and international arrest order against Omar Chabán, local businessman and owner of República Cromañón and other nightclubs, including one called Cemento that had been closed by court orders many times before. Chabán was located at one of his houses in the neighbourhood of Montserrat and was arrested. Police are now seeking those responsible for setting off the flare. If they are found (some reports say they have already been identified and that they are children), then they could face eight to twenty years in prison.

President Néstor Kirchner decreed three days of national mourning, and city authorities forbade concerts and closed all nightclubs in Buenos Aires during the mourning period.

[edit] Investigation results

It later became known that República Cromañón was overdue for a fire hazard inspection since late November 2004. Although Mayor Ibarra blamed the Fire Department of the Argentine Federal Police (responsible for the inspections), several flaws in the city's inspection system surfaced. Coupled with the city's poor capability to handle a disaster of this magnitude, critics pointed to Ibarra for failing to reorganize Buenos Aires' inspection system. A few days after the fire, Ibarra reshuffled the entire Buenos Aires security and emergency administration. The City Legislature announced that Mayor Ibarra was going to face a questioning session. However, the Legislature failed to achieve the necessary votes to question Ibarra. Shortly after, Ibarra voluntarily submitted to a questioning session, and announced a recall referendum to decide whether he would remain in office or not.

Relatives and friends of the dead organized several marches to Plaza de Mayo demanding the resignation of Aníbal Ibarra as Mayor of Buenos Aires, the conviction of Omar Chabán and more efficiency in the inspection system. Some of these marches ended with incidents between protesters and the police.

President Kirchner also suffered heavy criticism for his actions (or lack thereof), especially for staying at his holiday retreat of El Calafate, Santa Cruz, instead of returning to Buenos Aires, and for remaining silent for five days. Kirchner responded in an aggressive manner, blaming the criticism on the yellow journalism and on journalists "full of hatred", explaining his decision not to return to Buenos Aires as trying to avoid sensationalism. Critics of the President have contrasted Kirchner's actions during the Cromañón tragedy with his actions during the collapse of a mine shaft in his home province of Santa Cruz, when he quickly went to the site.

On 14 November 2005, an impeachment jury formed by a commission of the Buenos Aires Legislature suspended Mayor Ibarra for four months, pending investigation of his performance that could lead to his destitution. He has accused the opposition of manipulating the families of República Cromañón's victims in order to ruin his career. On 7 March 2006, after four months of deliberations, the impeachment jury voted to remove Ibarra from office.

[edit] See also

Rhythm Nightclub fire 23 April 1940; Natchez, Mississippi, United States; 209 dead
Cocoanut Grove fire 28 November 1942; Boston, Massachusetts, United States; 492 dead
Summerland Leisure Centre fire 2 August 1973; Douglas, Isle of Man; 51 dead
Beverly Hills Supper Club fire 28 May 1977; Southgate, Kentucky, United States; 165 dead
Stardust fire 14 February 1981; Dublin, Ireland; 48 dead
Alcalá 20 Nightclub fire 17 December 1983; Madrid, Spain; 82 dead
HappyLand fire 25 March 1990; New York City, New York, United States; 87 dead
Kheyvis Nightclub fire 20 December 1993; Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina; 17 dead
Ozone Disco Club fire 18 March 1996; Quezon City, Philippines; 162 dead
Gothenburg Nightclub fire 29 October 1998; Gothenburg, Sweden; 63 dead
Luoyang Christmas fire 25 December 2000; Luoyang, People's Republic of China; 309 dead
E2 Nightclub stampede 17 February 2003; Chicago, Illinois, United States; 21 dead
The Station Nightclub fire 20 February 2003; West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States; 100 dead
Wuwang Club fire 21 September 2008; Shenzhen, People's Republic of China; 43 dead
Bangkok Nightclub fire 1 January 2009; Watthana, Bangkok, Thailand; 61 dead