República Cromagnon nightclub fire
Encyclopedia
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
On 30 December 2004, a fire broke out in the club, killing 194 people and injuring 714 others. The venue was playing host to rock group Callejeros
Callejeros
Callejeros was an Argentine rock band that gained notoriety when the nightclub where they were playing, República Cromagnon, was set on fire during one of its shows, killing 194 attendees, in 2004.-History:...
and around 3,000 people were in attendance. The blaze was started when a pyrotechnic flare
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
(a popular device in New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
celebrations) was set off and ignited foam in the ceiling. The materials used in the building for decoration were flammable: mostly wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, styrofoam
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
, acoustic panels and a plastic net (a so-called media sombra). This plastic net was hung from the ceiling and caught fire first, melting into a rain of fire. In some parts of the building, teddy bear stuffing was used as a cheap alternative to wool fiber. The owner and the band's lead singer had told the patrons not to use flares inside the building.
Four of the six doors, some of which were fire exits, were chained shut so that "people would not enter without paying", according to Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Aníbal Ibarra
Aníbal Ibarra
Aníbal Ibarra is an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Buenos Aires from 2000 to 2006.-Biography:Ibarra was born in Lomas de Zamora, a district located in the southern region of Greater Buenos Aires. His father was a Paraguayan member of the PLRA who left his country during the...
. Most of the victims died from inhaling
Inhalation
Inhalation is the movement of air from the external environment, through the air ways, and into the alveoli....
poisonous gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
es, smoke
Smoke
Smoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires , but may also be used for pest...
and carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
, unlike most accidents of this kind, where most die from crushing or burning.
Following the disaster, an Argentine judge issued a national and international arrest order against Omar Chabán
Omar Chabán
Emir Omar Chabán is an Argentine impresario, who was imprisoned for a fatal fire in one of his businesses.Born in San Martín, Buenos Aires, Chabán became one of the major figures in the Buenos Aires underground scene during the 1980s as owner of Café Einstein and later Cemento, which became a...
, local businessman and owner of República Cromañón and other nightclubs, including one called Cemento that had been closed by court orders many times before. Chabán was located at one of his houses in the neighbourhood of Montserrat and was arrested. Police are now seeking those responsible for setting off the flare. If they are found (some reports say they have already been identified and that they are children), then they could face eight to twenty years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
.
President
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
decreed three days of national mourning, and city authorities forbade concerts and closed all nightclubs in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
during the mourning period.
Investigation results
It later became known that República Cromañón was overdue for a fire hazard inspection since late November 2004. Although Mayor Ibarra blamed the Fire Department of the Argentine Federal PolicePolicía Federal Argentina
The Policía Federal Argentina is a police force of the Argentine federal government. The PFA has detachments throughout the country, but its main responsibility is policing the Federal District of Buenos Aires...
(responsible for the inspections), several flaws in the city's inspection system surfaced. Coupled with the city's poor capability to handle a disaster of this magnitude, critics pointed to Ibarra for failing to reorganize Buenos Aires' inspection system. A few days after the fire, Ibarra reshuffled the entire Buenos Aires security and emergency administration. The City Legislature announced that Mayor Ibarra was going to face a questioning session. However, the Legislature failed to achieve the necessary votes to question Ibarra. Shortly after, Ibarra voluntarily submitted to a questioning session, and announced a recall referendum to decide whether he would remain in office or not.
Relatives and friends of the dead organized several marches to Plaza de Mayo
Plaza de Mayo
The Plaza de Mayo is the main square in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is flanked by Hipólito Yrigoyen, Balcarce, Rivadavia and Bolívar streets....
demanding the resignation of Aníbal Ibarra
Aníbal Ibarra
Aníbal Ibarra is an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Buenos Aires from 2000 to 2006.-Biography:Ibarra was born in Lomas de Zamora, a district located in the southern region of Greater Buenos Aires. His father was a Paraguayan member of the PLRA who left his country during the...
as Mayor of Buenos Aires, the conviction of Omar Chabán and more efficiency in the inspection system. Some of these marches ended with incidents between protesters and the police.
President Kirchner also suffered heavy criticism for his actions (or lack thereof), especially for staying at his holiday retreat of El Calafate
El Calafate
- Population :In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted . This represents a 20.1% increase compared with the 1991 census. However, due to the expansion of tourism, the population was estimated at 8,000 people in 2005.- Wildlife :...
, Santa Cruz, instead of returning to Buenos Aires, and for remaining silent for five days. Kirchner responded in an aggressive manner, blaming the criticism on the yellow journalism
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
and on journalists "full of hatred", explaining his decision not to return to Buenos Aires as trying to avoid sensationalism. Critics of the President have contrasted Kirchner's actions during the Cromañón tragedy
Tragedy (event)
A tragedy is an event in which one or more losses, usually of human life, occurs that is viewed as mournful. Such an event is said to be tragic....
with his actions during the collapse of a mine shaft in his home province of Santa Cruz, when he quickly went to the site.
On 14 November 2005, an impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
jury formed by a commission of the Buenos Aires Legislature suspended Mayor Ibarra for four months, pending investigation of his performance that could lead to his destitution. He has accused the opposition of manipulating the families of República Cromañón's victims in order to ruin his career. On 7 March 2006, after four months of deliberations, the impeachment jury voted to remove Ibarra from office.
A trial started on 19 August 2008 and finished 1 year later. The defendants were sentenced as follows:
- Omar ChabánOmar ChabánEmir Omar Chabán is an Argentine impresario, who was imprisoned for a fatal fire in one of his businesses.Born in San Martín, Buenos Aires, Chabán became one of the major figures in the Buenos Aires underground scene during the 1980s as owner of Café Einstein and later Cemento, which became a...
: 20-year prison sentence - Raúl Villarreal: 1-year suspended prison sentence
- CallejerosCallejerosCallejeros was an Argentine rock band that gained notoriety when the nightclub where they were playing, República Cromagnon, was set on fire during one of its shows, killing 194 attendees, in 2004.-History:...
: Acquitted, then retried in 2011: 11-year prison sentence - Diego Argañaraz (manager of Callejeros): 18-year prison sentence
- Fabiana Fiszbin (ex Control secretary): 2-year prison sentence
- Ana María Fernández (ex Buenos Aires government servant): 2-year prison sentence
- Subcommissioner Carlos Díaz: 18-year prison sentence
- Commissioner Miguel Belay: acquitted
External links
- Documentary Video explaining several government flaws that led to the tragedy
- Fire at Buenos Aires Nightclub Kills 174" at ABCNEWS.com
- "Scores die in Argentina club fire" at BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
news - Que No Se Repita: Main organization that groups victim and survivor families and is undertaking legal actions.
- The official list of death in the tragedy
- Los pibes de Cromañón Memoria y Justicia por Nuestros Pibes - Grupo de Familiares, amigos y sobrevivientes de Cromañón.