Sorry folks. Another one. 27 people dead and at least 175 injured from a fireworks show at a heavy metal show in Bucharest, Romania. Thanks to Greg McGuire for catching this. Nasty Bucharest stage fire.
From what I understand — it is NOT an explosion as is called for by the Blabbermouth publication, it was some small scale pyro that caught some very flammable fuel and up she went. See this photo, then see the screenshot — you can almost finish the rest of the image, with the incendiary stuff lighting up that foam on the column:
Watch this one first, local news — that lady is working her ass off to get that story out:
A more corporate report:
From Blabbermouth:
At least 27 people were killed and nearly two hundred were injured Friday night (October 30) in Bucharest, Romania after an explosion during a concert by a local heavy metal band called GOODBYE TO GRAVITY. The incident occurred at the Colectiv nightclub during a release party for the group’s new album, “Mantras Of War”, with an estimated 400 people in attendance. It is believed that the explosion happened after GOODBYE TO GRAVITY‘s fireworks show went awry, sparking a fire and panic among the hundreds inside, many of whom scrambled for the exit.
“People were fainting, they were fainting from the smoke. It was total chaos, people were trampling on each other,” a witness told Romania’s Antena 3 TV. “It was a tragedy that could have been avoided if there had been more organization from the emergency services.”
A concert attendee wrote on Facebook that two foam pillars caught fire. “They then set fire to wood inside the building, which burned everything really quickly,” he said. “It was made worse by the fact that the only way out was a relatively small door.”
From The Telegraph, confirming 27 dead and 180 injured:
The club, which had up to 400 people inside at the time, was due to be open from 9pm local time until 7am, hosting a free rock concert. The band, Goodbye to Gravity, was launching its latest album at the club, called Mantras of War. The show had been due to include a pyrotechnics display. Lemi Black, one of the band members, posted a photo on Facebook which he had taken from the stage, showing hundreds of people inside the room, phones held aloft to take pictures as they played.
Exactly how the fire broke out is unknown, but Antena 3, a Romanian TV station, said preliminary suggestions were that decorations caught fire.
“It blew something under a pole covered with polystyrene,” said their correspondent on the scene.
One witness said that there were fireworks inside the club, then a pillar and the club’s ceiling caught fire. An explosion was sparked, and heavy smoke filled the room.
Lemi Black, a member of the band, said that two foam pillars caught fire.
“They then set fire to wood inside the building, which burned everything really quickly,” he said. “It was made worse by the fact that the only way out was a relatively small door.”
One man, who escaped without his shoes, said: “There was a stampede of people running out of the club.”
Rest assured though — CNN is reporting that …”Paul Angelescu, a reporter with ProTV, said the mayor told him the club had all the necessary permits for Friday’s show, which was scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.”
Well thank fucking goodness for that.
