Cylinder blast, stuck in kitchen, suffocation—New details reveal how Goa's Birch By Romeo Lane turned into a deadly trap

HORRIFYING details have emerged about the massive fire at Birch By Romeo Lane that killed 25 people at midnight on Sunday in Goa. The blaze erupted on the first floor due to a gas cylinder explosion at the popular nightclub in Arpora, local police said.

The doors of the club were congested, and although some people were able to get out, others became trapped once the fire grew stronger, CM Pramod Sawant stated. Many rushed to the kitchen below and got trapped there, according to PTI.

Most of the dead were the club's kitchen workers, and included three women, Sawant, who rushed to the site, said. There were three to four tourists among those who lost their lives, he added.

“Fire was doused within half an hour, but at the club where this happened, some people could rush out of it but some others could not. So, a few people died of suffocation. As per preliminary information, 4 people were tourists and the rest were employees at the club,” Sawant told ANI.

Out of 100 people who were on the dance floor, some escaped by running downstairs, where they got trapped with the staff, the report noted.

The fire brigades were reportedly unable to reach the club directly due to the narrow lanes, forcing them to park their tankers approximately 400 meters from the location.

Fatima Shaikh, a tourist from Hyderabad, told PTI, “There was a sudden commotion as the flames started erupting. We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames.”

Goa club fire: ‘There was no construction licence’

Arpora village panchayat chief Roshan Redkar said there had been complaints about the club, and an inquiry revealed it did not have a construction licence, a report by Hindustan Times noted.

“There were complaints against the club and when we conducted an inquiry, we found that there was no construction licence. We had issued a demolition notice after following due process. However, the demolition notice was stayed upon appeal,” Redkar said.

Meanwhile, Sawant said that an arrest warrant had been issued against the club owners and that managers and other personnel had already been taken into custody. He stated that anyone found guilty would be jailed.

He added that PM Modi had called him that morning to ask for full details of the incident as well as information on the injured, and that he had briefed the PM thoroughly. Sawant also said that the Goa government would take all necessary measures to ensure that such an incident never occurs in the future.