Many of the most fatal building fires in history were in night clubs. Here is the reason why they are so dangerous

A fire in a night club in North Macedonia killed at least 59 people and injured more than 150. The fire broke out in the Pulse Nightclub in Kočani, where around 500 people took part in a concert.

Witnesses reported that the pyrotechnic used during the performance lit the ceiling, which quickly spread the flames.

So far, the authorities have arrested 20 people, including the manager of the club. The investigations continue. The northern Macedonian government has declared a seven -day mourning.

While the construction of fires is not limited to night clubs, many of the most devastating buildings in history have taken place in night clubs around the world. Why are night clubs such a risky place for fatal fires?

A long story of nightclub fires

A look at the past night club fire shows how common and fatal they have been in the past 100 years. We have identified at least 24 nightclub fires where ten or more people died since 1940.

In total, these 24 incidents make up at least 2,800 deaths, and in the 21st century alone.

The Cocoanut Grove Fire (Boston, 1942) remains the most fatal and kills 492 people. The flammable decorations and closed outputs of the club turned an ordinary night into one of the worst disasters in history.

In Argentina, the fire from República Cromañón killed 194 people in 2004, which were caused by pyrotechnics, which inflamed combustible materials in the club.

The KISS nightclub fire in Brazil in 2013 was even fatal and demanded 242 lives.

In recent times, Thailand's Mountain B nightclub fire killed 23 people in 2022.

And in 2023, 13 people died in a fire in the Fonda Milagros Nacht Club in Spain.

Now the Pulse Nightclub from North Macedonia follows this long list.

Why are night clubs for fires so risky?

A review of earlier nightclub fires that we have put together in our database shows common patterns. Two key factors have contributed to the frequency and severity of these fire disasters.

1. Pyrotechnics, fireworks and combustible materials

One of the most common causes of nightclub fires was the use of pyrotechnics in closed rooms. Pyrotechnics are controlled chemical reactions to create flames, smoke or lighting effects.

They were involved in at least six of the deadliest nightclub fires, including the youngest Pulse Nightclub Fire in North -Macedonia and the station (United States, 2003), Kiss (Brazil, 2013), Colective (Romania, 2015), Lame Horse (2009) and República Cromañón (Argentina, 2004).

In interiors, pyrotechnics can easily ignite the flammable ceiling materials, acoustic foam or decorations.

In some cases, fireworks that differ from the pyrotechnics of the stage and sometimes used illegally indoors have played a role. The Lame Horse Nightclub Fire, in which 156 people were killed in Russia in 2009, was caused by a spark of fireworks that lit a low ceiling, which was covered with flammable plastic decorations.

Even if fires do not start from pyrotechnics or fireworks, the materials used in nightclub can quickly turn a small fire into a large disaster.

Foam insulation, wood paneling, plastic decorations and carpet walls were all important factors in earlier nightclub fires. In Cocoanut Grove (Boston, 1942), artificial palm trees accelerated and other flammable decorations.

2. Overcrowding and blocked or inadequate outputs

Evacuation errors were a factor for almost every big night club fire.

In some cases, the amount may not recognize the severity of the situation immediately, especially if they confuse alarms with false alarms or special effects (e.g. smoke machines, loud music).

In addition, the patrons could be intoxicating alcohol or other drugs. The poisoning in combination with a possible disorientation due to weak lighting can further reduce the judgment during evacuation.

The best way to protect customers is to prevent a fire from breaking out at all. But in settings in which the fire risk is naturally high, the ability to quickly evacuate people is crucial.

However, night clubs have a poor track record in evacuation security measures.

Night clubs are among the overcrowded interiors. While the crowd -density part of the design and atmosphere of a night club is an overcrowding beyond the legal capacity.

A lot that has gathered gradually over several hours has to suddenly evacuate in seconds or minutes to survive a fire. This is made difficult by narrow corridors and limited outputs, which quickly become narrow balls when hundreds of people flee at the same time.

In addition, not all outputs are always accessible during a fire. In several past night club disasters, closed or clogged emergency outputs have worsened the number of fatalities considerably.

Minimization of the risks

Due to a combination of structural risks, uncertain materials, overcrowding and regulatory mistakes, night clubs are uniquely susceptible to fires.

While human behavior plays a role in the development of fires in narrow spaces such as night clubs, people should be able to spend an evening and to be expected to come home safely.

The regulatory supervision must ensure strict compliance with the fire regulations. Event locations should have fire suppression systems (such as sprinklers, fire extinguishers and smoke alarms) to control or control fires before spreading, and reasonable exits.

Night clubs should ban interior pyrotechnics and fireworks because the story has repeatedly shown its fatal consequences.

The capacity limits must be enforced and emergency outputs should always be accessible.

Australia has strict fire protection regulations for night clubs, with the event locations that are required for fire suppression systems, emergency exits and trained personnel to manage fire risks.

Public awareness is also the key. The patrons must understand the actual fire risk in night clubs and be ready to evacuate quickly, but calmly when the danger occurs.