Local Venues Revisit Fire Safety After Brazil Nightclub TragedyCHARLOTTE, NC- Cheap outdoor flares may be what sparked the deadly nightclub fire at the Kiss nightclub Brazil. Investigators say the band bought them instead of indoor flares to save money. More than 200 people died when flames burned through the overcrowded club. Charlotte venue owners say they have safeguards to prevent disasters like that. "You never want guests running down a hallway that's not going to lead anywhere so We instruct our staff to lead our guests out of the building first. That's because we know where the exits are," said Dale Nelson, Rock Bottom general manager. Each private room has its own exit and chefs are told to turn the gas off in the kitchen during an emergency. Rock Bottom is on the bottom floor of a nine story building in Uptown Charlotte. If there's a fire and alarms go off on any of the floors - the music shuts off and alerts instruct people what to do and where to go. On Sunday, there were about two thousand people in Brazil's Kiss nightclub - double the maximum capacity. Charlotte's Fire Marshal says that won't happen here. "Fire inspectors are out nights and weekends. We make random inspections of bars and nightclubs," said Deputy Chief Rob Kinniburgh. If the venue is overcrowded, inspectors evacuate the building or shut down the venue. To avoid that, Music Factory management says its club's capacities are monitored at the door. As for pyrotechnics, there are strict rules. "The use of pyrotechnic devices are allowed, but they have to have a permit and we require that fire prevention personnel be on-site when they are used," said Kinniburgh. State law says any new club or bar with a capacity of over 300 must have sprinklers. |
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