List of nightclub fires

This is a list of notable nightclub fires at indoor and outdoor venues. Deadly nightclub fires often attribute to pyrotechnic failures, hence some of the list also feature in the List of fireworks accidents and incidents.

## List

[edit]

Name  | Location  | Country  | Year  | Deaths  | Injuries  | Origin  | Accelerant | Notes

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Study Club fire | Detroit, Michigan | United States  | 1929  | 22  | 50  | undetermined; possibly a lit cigarette  | draperies, decorations[1] | Prohibition-era speakeasy nightclub
Rhythm Club fire | Natchez, Mississippi | United States  | 1940  | 209  | 200  |  | Spanish moss sprayed with Flit | At the time of incident, second-worst club fire in American history
Cocoanut Grove fire | Boston, Massachusetts | United States  | 1942  | 492  | 130  | undetermined (disputed)  | draperies, decorations, possibly a refrigerant leak (methyl chloride)  | Deadliest club fire in history, and the third-worst single-building fire in American history (third only to the Iroquois Theatre fire and the September 11 attacks)
Karlslust dance hall fire | Berlin, Germany | Germany  | 1947  | 81  | 150  | stove pipe  |  | Worst fire disaster in Berlin since World War II; death toll reported between 80-88, but considered to be 81
Top Storey Club | Bolton, Lancashire, England  | United Kingdom  | 1961  | 19  |  |  | solvents, paints  | 14 died in the fire and 5 died of injuries received from jumping out of windows
Dale's Penthouse | Montgomery, Alabama | United States  | 1967  | 26  | 8  | non-extinguished tobacco pipe left in jacket pocket in the cloakroom |  | Restaurant/lounge on the top floor of an 11-story building with no fire escape
Club Cinq-Sept fire | Saint-Laurent-du-Pont | France  | 1970  | 146  |  | discarded match  | polyurethane, papier-mâché |
Blue Bird Café fire | Montreal, Quebec | Canada  | 1972  | 37  | 56  | arson  | gasoline  |
Playtown Cabaret fire | Osaka | Japan  | 1972  | 118  | 81  | discarded match or cigarette butt  | clothing  | Club on the top floor of a seven-story building with no fire escape
Whiskey Au Go Go fire | Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland | Australia  | 1973  | 15  |  | arson  | gasoline  |
UpStairs Lounge arson attack | New Orleans, Louisiana | United States  | 1973  | 32  | 15  | arson  | Ronsonol lighter fluid  | Deadliest arson attack in New Orleans at that time, and one of the deadliest attacks on LGBT people in United States history
Gulliver's nightclub fire | Port Chester, New York | United States  | 1974  | 24  | 32  | arson  |  | Future Kiss drummer Eric Carr survived the fire, he played there with the band Creation.
Time Club fire  | Seoul | South Korea  | 1974  | 64  |  | short circuit  |  | The total death toll for the entire Daewang Corner building fire was 88; 8 died from jumping out of windows
Puerto Rican Social Club fire | New York City  | United States  | 1976  | 25  | 24  | arson  | gasoline  |
Beverly Hills Supper Club fire | Southgate, Kentucky | United States  | 1977  | 165  | 200  | possibly electrical  | carpeting, wooden paneling  | Third-worst club fire in American history
Infinity Disco fire  | Manhattan, New York  | United States  | 1979  | 0  | 0[2] | possibly arson  |  | Former location of Pfaff's Beer Cellar
Fire at Stadt[3] | Borås  | Sweden  | 1978  | 20  | 59  | most likely a discarded cigarette  | \-  | High-school graduation party at city hotel
Denmark Place fire | Central London | United Kingdom  | 1980  | 37  | 23  | arson  | gasoline  |
Stardust fire | Artane, Dublin | Ireland  | 1981  | 48  | 214  | cigarette on couch, flammable internal materials  |  |
Alcalá 20 nightclub fire | Madrid | Spain  | 1983  | 82  | 27  | electrical  |  |
Chowon (Greenfield) disco fire  | Daegu | South Korea  | 1983  | 25  | 67  | short circuit  |  | mostly underage victims; exit reportedly chained shut to prevent them from leaving without paying[4]
Common People fire  | Seoul | South Korea  | 1984  | 10  | 2  | oil stove knocked over during quarrel  | oil fire spread to the couch  | fire broke out at 4:20 am; victims mostly underage
Happy Land fire | The Bronx, New York  | United States  | 1990  | 87  | 6  | arson  | gasoline  | Fifth-worst club fire in American history
Daegu Gosonggwan fire  | Daegu | South Korea  | 1991  | 16  | 13  | arson  | 6 liters of gasoline | Fire started by spiteful rejected customer
Kheyvis fire | Olivos, Buenos Aires | Argentina  | 1993  | 17  | 24  | burning furniture (prank)  |  | Second-worst club fire in Argentine history
Yiyuan Disco fire [zh] | Fuxin, Liaoning | China  | 1994  | 233  | 16  | sofa (caused by burning newspaper)[5] | decorations  |
Ozone Disco fire | Quezon City, Metro Manila | Philippines  | 1996  | 162  | 95[6] | possibly electrical  |  | Worst fire in Philippine history
Rolling Stones fire  | Seoul | South Korea  | 1996  | 11  | 3  | discarded cigarette butt  | wet paint  | fire trucks delayed by cars parked in narrow alley
Gothenburg discothèque fire | Gothenburg | Sweden  | 1998  | 63  | 214  | arson  |  | Most victims were underage - event for secondary school students
Incheon club fire  | Incheon | South Korea  | 1999  | 56  | 78  | basement construction work  |  | mostly underage victims; exit reportedly chained shut to prevent them from leaving without paying[7][8]
LA2 fire  | London | United Kingdom  | 1999  | 0  |  | pyrotechnics  |  | Pyro from the band Toilet Böys set fire to netting suspended from the ceiling. [9]
Luoyang Christmas fire | Luoyang, Henan | China  | 2000  | 309  | 7  | welding  |  | Second deadliest nightclub fire in history. Construction and retail staff in the same building evacuated after internal broadcast, nightclub patrons on level 4 were forgotten about
Lobohombo explosion  | Mexico City | Mexico  | 2000  | 22  | 24  |  | gas canisters[10] |
Volendam New Year's fire | Volendam | Netherlands  | 2001  | 14  | 241  | pyrotechnics (sparkler)  | decorations (Christmas)  |
Canecão Mineiro nightclub fire | Belo Horizonte | Brazil  | 2001  | 7  | 197  | pyrotechnics  |  |
Myojo 56 building fire | Kabukicho, Shinjuku | Japan  | 2001  | 44  | 3  | suspected arson  |  | Fifth-deadliest fire in post-war Japanese history
Club La Guajira fire | Caracas | Venezuela  | 2002  | 47  | 28  |  | Christmas decoration  | Bouncer delayed exit asking patrons not to leave without paying
Utopía nightclub fire | Santiago de Surco, Lima | Peru  | 2002  | 29  | 57  | torch  | acoustic foam  |
The Station nightclub fire | West Warwick, Rhode Island | United States  | 2003  | 100  | 230  | pyrotechnics  | acoustic foam  | Fourth-deadliest club fire in American history
República Cromañón nightclub fire | Buenos Aires | Argentina  | 2004  | 194  | 1432  | pyrotechnics  | plastic net (media sombra), styrofoam and wood decorations, acoustic panels  | Worst club fire in Argentina history
El Festival Ballroom fire  | Houston, Texas  | United States  | 2004  | 1  | 3  | arson  |  | Firefighter killed in fire; initially thought to have been started by a truck, quickly ruled as arson[11]
911 nightclub fire  | Moscow | Russia  | 2007  | 10  | 4  | pyrotechnics[12] |  |
Lounge cafe fire  | Novi Sad | Serbia  | 2008  | 8  | 2  | arson  | shag carpet on the walls  | Fire was intentionally set by a patron named Miloš Malešev. He was sentenced to nine years and his companion to two years. Two owners of the bar were sentenced to seven years each.[13][14]
Factory nightclub fire | Quito | Ecuador  | 2008  | 15  | 35  | pyrotechnics[10] |  |
Wuwang Club fire | Shenzhen, Guangdong | China  | 2008  | 43  | 88  | pyrotechnics  |  |
Santika Club fire | Watthana, Bangkok | Thailand  | 2009  | 67  | 222  | fireworks or electrical explosion  | tar paper, plastic waterproofing  |
Lame Horse fire | Perm | Russia  | 2009  | 156  | ≤160  | pyrotechnics  | decorations (willow twig)  | Worst fire in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Sabor Latino fire | Rome | Italy  | 2010  | 4[15][16] |  | electrical[17] | acoustic foam  |
Jack Daniels nightclub fire [zh] | Taichung | Taiwan  | 2011  | 9  | 13  |  |  | Originated during a fire show by a male dancer on stage, described as holding sparklers,[18] a torch,[19] or LED torch that malfunctioned and produced sparks[20]
Kontrast discotheque fire  | Novi Sad | Serbia  | 2012  | 6  | 4  | electrical  |  | Four persons were sentenced to between five and nine years in 2014.[21][22]
Tiger Disco fire  | Patong, Phuket, chiangmai  | Thailand  | 2012  | 4  | 11  | electrical  | acoustic foam  | Officially attributed to a short circuit,[23] some reports stated that the fire started when lightning struck a nearby transformer.[24]
Kiss nightclub fire | Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul | Brazil  | 2013  | 242  | 630  | pyrotechnics  | acoustic foam  | Worst club fire and second worst fire disaster in Brazil, third deadliest club fire in history
Colectiv nightclub fire | Bucharest | Romania  | 2015  | 64  | 160  | pyrotechnics  | acoustic foam (polyurethane)  | Worst club fire in Romanian history
Ghost Ship warehouse fire | Oakland, California | United States  | 2016  | 36  | 2  | undetermined, possibly electrical  | N/A  | Converted warehouse used as an art collective and venue. Fire officials say staircase to second floor was made out of wooden pallets.
2016 Hanoi karaoke bar fire  | Cầu Giấy, Hanoi  | Vietnam  | 2016  | 13  |  | welding[25] |  |
Magway karaoke bar fire  | Magway | Myanmar  | 2017  | 16  |  | gas leak[26] |  |
Yaoundé nightclub fire  | Yaoundé | Cameroon  | 2022  | 16  | 8  | fireworks  |  | Fireworks ignited the ceiling; eventually spread to gas bottles, causing explosions[27]
Sorong nightclub fire | Sorong, West Papua | Indonesia  | 2022  | 19  |  | rioting[28] |  | One victim died from stabbing during clashes.
Mountain B nightclub fire | Sattahip, Chonburi | Thailand  | 2022  | 26  | 22  | possibly electrical  | soundproof foam  |
Binh Duong karaoke bar fire | Thuận An, Binh Duong | Vietnam  | 2022  | 32  | 3  | short circuit  |  |
Kostroma café fire | Kostroma | Russia  | 2022  | 13  | 5  | pyrotechnic flare  |  | Initial reports say that a pyrotechnic flare was released by a Russian soldier who had just returned from Ukraine.[29][30]
Fonda Milagros nightclub fire | Murcia | Spain  | 2023  | 13  |  | unknown  |  |
Gayrettepe nightclub fire | Beşiktaş, Istanbul | Turkey  | 2024  | 29  | 8  | possibly welding  |  |
2024 Hanoi karaoke bar fire  | Hanoi | Vietnam  | 2024  | 11  | 2  | arson[31] | gasoline  | Fire started by patron following an argument with staff
Kočani nightclub fire | Kočani | North Macedonia  | 2025  | 62  | 195  | pyrotechnics  |  | Sparks from pyrotechnics hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, before rapidly spreading.[32][33]

## See also

[edit]

* List of fires
* List of fireworks accidents and incidents, many of which caused a nightclub fire.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Buildings: Report. January 1979. ISBN 9780877622284.
2. ^ "Club Patrons Routed By Fire in Building". The New York Times. 15 February 1979. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
3. ^ Engman, Aron (7 June 1978). "20 ungdomar miste livet i hotellbranden i Borås". SVT Nyheter.
4. ^ "24 Reported Dead, 70 Injured In Fire in South Korean Disco". The New York Times. 18 April 1983. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
5. ^ "China holds 31 responsible for disco blaze". United Press International. 23 December 1994. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
6. ^ [Philippines sentences over 1996 Ozone Disco fire Philippines sentences over 1996 Ozone Disco fire] from BBC News.November 2014.
7. ^ "54 Die in Fire at Youth Hangout in South Korea". The New York Times. 31 October 1999. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
8. ^ Shin, Bong-gun (31 October 1999). "Fire Kills 54, Injures 75 at Illegal Bar in S. Korea". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
9. ^ "Kerrang! review".
10. ^ a b "Brazil, Mexico And Other Deadly Nightclub Fires In Latin America". The Huffington Post. 2013-01-28.
11. ^ "Ballroom blaze that killed firefighter arson". Houston Chronicle. April 6, 2004.
12. ^ Пожар в "911": клуб сгорел из-за бутафорских огнетушителей? [Fire at "911": Did the club burn down because of fake fire extinguishers?]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 26 March 2007.
13. ^ "Obeleženo 16 godina od tragedije u kafiću "Laundž", život izgubilo osmoro mladih" [16 years have passed since the tragedy at the "Lounge" cafe, where eight young people lost their lives]. JMU Radio-televizija Vojvodine (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
14. ^ "Jedna od najvećih tragedija u istoriji Novog Sada: Četvoro dece poginulo u požaru" [One of the greatest tragedies in the history of Novi Sad: Four children died in a fire]. BBC News na srpskom (in Serbian (Latin script)). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
15. ^ "Il rogo alla discoteca Sabor ora c' è un indagato per i 4 morti - la Repubblica.it". Archivio - la Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved Jun 23, 2020.
16. ^ "Le vittime del rogo al Sabor Latino: il dj, le colf e il ragazzo rumeno - Corriere Roma". roma.corriere.it (in Italian). Retrieved Jun 23, 2020.
17. ^ "Cuatro jóvenes de origen latinoamericano mueren en incendio en Roma". andina.pe (in Spanish). 14 March 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
18. ^ "Nine die in pub fire in Taiwan". Sydney Morning Herald. 2011-03-06.
19. ^ "Taiwan nightclub fire kills 9". UPI. 2011-03-06.
20. ^ "9 die in night club fire in central Taiwan city of Taichung". The China Post. 2011-03-06.
21. ^ "Godišnjica požara u diskoteci "Kontrast": "Da svi odgovorni budu sankcionisani"" [Anniversary of the fire in the "Kontrast" discotheque: "Let all those responsible be punished"]. N1 (in Serbian (Latin script)). 1 April 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
22. ^ "Šestoro mrtvih u požaru u diskoteci "Kontrast" u Novom Sadu" [Six dead in fire at "Kontrast" disco in Novi Sad]. JMU Radio-televizija Vojvodine (in Serbian (Latin script)). 1 April 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
23. ^ "Owner Walks Free Despite Four Dying In Disco Fire". Stickboy Bangkok. 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
24. ^ "Four killed in disco fire at Phuket club". CNN. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
25. ^ "Hanoi karaoke bar blaze kills at least 13". Vietnam Plus. 2 November 2016.
26. ^ "16 killed in local karaoke bar fire in Myanmar". Daily Sabah. 3 April 2017.
27. ^ "Cameroon nightclub fire: More than a dozen dead in Yaounde blaze". Al Jazeera. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
28. ^ "At Least 19 Dead In Stabbing, Fire At Indonesian Night Club". Agence France-Presse. NDTV. 25 January 2022.
29. ^ "Nightclub fire that killed 13 'started by Russian soldier told to return to frontline'". The Telegraph. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
30. ^ "Russian Nightclub Fire Kills 13; One Person Arrested". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
31. ^ "Arson at karaoke bar in Vietnam's Hanoi kills 11, police say". Al Jazeera. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
32. ^ "Dozens feared dead in North Macedonian nightclub fire". BBC News. 2025-03-16. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
33. ^ "North Macedonia nightclub fire death toll rises to 60 after burn victim dies". EuroNews. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.

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Nightclub fires, disasters, and attacks

Fires (accidental)|

* 1929 Study Club fire
* 1940 Rhythm Club fire
* 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire
* 1947 Karlslust dance hall fire
* 1961 Top Storey Club fire
* 1970 Club Cinq-Sept fire
* 1972 Play Town Club fire
* 1973 Summerland disaster
* 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire
* 1981 Stardust fire
* 1983 Alcalá 20 nightclub fire
* 1993 Kheyvis fire
* 1996 Ozone Disco fire
* 2000 Luoyang Christmas fire
* 2001 Volendam New Year's fire
* 2001 Canecão Mineiro nightclub fire
* 2002 Utopía nightclub fire
* 2003 The Station nightclub fire
* 2004 Cromañón nightclub fire
* 2008 Wuwang Club fire
* 2009 Santika Club fire
* 2009 Lame Horse fire
* 2013 Kiss nightclub fire
* 2015 New Taipei water park fire
* 2015 Colectiv nightclub fire
* 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire
* 2022 Yaoundé nightclub fire
* 2022 Mountain B nightclub fire
* 2022 Binh Duong karaoke bar fire
* 2022 Kostroma café fire
* 2022 Poipet casino hotel fire
* 2023 Fonda Milagros nightclub fire
* 2024 Gayrettepe nightclub fire
* 2025 Kočani nightclub fire

Crowd crushes|

* 2000 Throb nightclub disaster
* 2003 E2 nightclub crush
* 2018 El Paraíso stampede
* 2018 Corinaldo stampede
* 2020 Los Olivos stampede

Attacks|

* 1972 Blue Bird Café fire
* 1973 Whiskey Au Go Go fire
* 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson attack
* 1974 Gulliver's nightclub fire
* 1975 Gargantua bar attack
* 1976 Puerto Rican Social Club fire
* 1997 Male Box shooting
* 1980 Denmark Place fire
* 1982 Droppin Well bombing
* 1984 Dallas nightclub shooting
* 1986 West Berlin discotheque bombing
* 1989 Rockhampton nightclub bombing
* 1990 Happy Land fire
* 1990 Rockhampton nightclub bombing
* 1996 Copenhagen rocket attack
* 1997 Otherside Lounge bombing
* 1998 Gothenburg discothèque fire
* 1998 Panda Bar massacre
* 2000 Backstreet Cafe shooting
* 2001 Dolphinarium discotheque massacre
* 2001 Myojo 56 building fire
* 2002 Bali bombings
* 2003 El Nogal Club bombing
* 2004 Columbus nightclub shooting
* 2005 Stage Club bombing
* 2006 Arua nightclub shooting
* 2007 London car bombs
* 2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack
* 2015 Cairo restaurant fire
* 2015 Bataclan theatre massacre
* 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting
* 2016 Movida Bar grenade attack
* 2017 Istanbul nightclub shooting
* 2017 Lima shooting
* 2017 Little Rock nightclub shooting
* 2017 Konstanz shooting
* 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting
* 2019 Salamanca nightclub shooting
* 2019 Melbourne nightclub shooting
* 2019 Coatzacoalcos nightclub fire
* 2022 Oslo shootings
* 2022 Bratislava shooting
* 2022 Colorado Springs nightclub shooting
* 2025 Chicago shooting

Other|

* 1925 Pickwick Club collapse
* 2022 Enyobeni Tavern disaster (cause of death unknown)
* 2025 Jet Set nightclub roof collapse

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