Kiss nightclub fire
29°41′3.5″S 53°48′25″W / 29.684306°S 53.80694°W
The shuttered nightclub with flowers and messages from mourners | |
| Date | 27 January 2013 |
|---|---|
| Time | Between 2:00 and 2:30 (BRST) |
| Location | Centro, Sede, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil |
| Cause | Acoustic foam in the ceiling ignited. Fireworks-related accident. |
| Deaths | 242 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 630 |
242 people were killed and at least 630 others injured in a fire in the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on 27 January 2013. The fire started between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m. (BRST) because outdoor fireworks were used indoors, causing the acoustic foam on the ceiling to catch fire. The premises having only one exit contributed to the high death toll as well as the electricity going out, making it impossible to find the exit with the layout the way it was. The only light in the building was coming from the bathroom where people flocked, only to be trapped with no way out as they believed it was an exit. It is the second deadliest fire in Brazilian history, surpassed only by the Niterói circus fire of 1961.