This is a list of notable nightclub fires at indoor and outdoor venues. Deadly nightclub fires often attribute to pyrotechnic failures, hence some of the list also feature in the list of fireworks accidents and incidents. The combination of large groups of people, limited means of evacuation, pyrotechnics, and highly combustible materials has been described as a "lethal mixture".
List
+ Name Location Country Year Deaths Injuries Origin Accelerant Notes Study Club fire Detroit, Michigan United States 1929 22 50 undetermined; possibly a lit cigarette draperies, decorations Prohibition-era speakeasy nightclub Rhythm Club fire Natchez, Mississippi United States 1940 209 200discarded match or cigarette Spanish moss sprayed with Flit At the time of incident, second-worst club fire in American history Cocoanut Grove fire Boston, Massachusetts United States 1942 492 130 undetermined (disputed) draperies, decorations, possibly a refrigerant leak (methyl chloride) Deadliest club fire in history, and the third-worst single-building fire in American history (third only to the Iroquois Theatre fire and the September 11 attacks) Karlslust dance hall fire Berlin, Germany Germany 1947 81 150 stove pipe Worst fire disaster in Berlin since World War II; death toll reported between 80-88, but considered to be 81 Top Storey Club Bolton, Lancashire, England United Kingdom 1961 19 solvents, paints14 died in the fire and 5 died of injuries received from jumping out of windows Dale's Penthouse Montgomery, Alabama United States 1967 26 8 non-extinguished tobacco pipe left in jacket pocket in the cloakroom Restaurant/lounge on the top floor of an 11-story building with no fire escape Club Cinq-Sept fire Saint-Laurent-du-Pont France 1970 146 undetermined (disputed) polyurethane, papier-mâché Blue Bird Café fire Montreal, Quebec Canada 1972 37 56 arson gasoline Playtown Cabaret fire Osaka Japan 1972118 81 discarded match or cigarette butt clothing Club on the top floor of a seven-story building with no fire escape Whiskey Au Go Go fire Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland Australia 197315 arson gasoline UpStairs Lounge arson attack New Orleans, Louisiana United States 197332 15 arson Ronsonol lighter fluid Deadliest arson attack in New Orleans at that time, and one of the deadliest attacks on LGBT people in United States history Gulliver's nightclub fire Port Chester, New York United States 1974 24 32 arsonFuture Kiss drummer Eric Carr survived the fire, he played there with the band Creation. Time Club fire Seoul South Korea 1974 64 short circuit The total death toll for the entire Daewang Corner building fire was 88; 8 died from jumping out of windowsDance bar 6-9 fireLa LouvièreBelgium19761540cigarette lighters during a power failurepaper and plastic party decorations Puerto Rican Social Club fire New York City United States 1976 25 24 arson gasoline Beverly Hills Supper Club fire Southgate, Kentucky United States 1977 165 200 possibly electrical carpeting, wooden paneling Third-worst club fire in American history Fire at Stadt Borås Sweden 1978 20 59 most likely a discarded cigaretteHigh-school graduation party at city hotel Infinity Disco fire Manhattan, New York United States 1979 0 0 possibly arson Former location of Pfaff's Beer Cellar Denmark Place fire Central London United Kingdom 1980 37 23 arson gasoline Limelight Disco fire Hallandale, Florida United States 1980 0 1 Limelight disco in Hallandale is destroyed by fire from Fort Lauderdale News. Published May 6, 1980. possibly arson Formerly the Old Heidelberg restaurant and Rumbottoms disco Stardust fire Artane, Dublin Ireland 1981 48 214 electrical water heater flammable internal materials, locked and blocked exits. Alcalá 20 nightclub fire Madrid Spain 1983 82 27 electrical Chowon (Greenfield) disco fire Daegu South Korea 1983 25 67 short circuit Mostly underage victims; exit reportedly chained shut to prevent them from leaving without paying Common People fire Seoul South Korea 1984 10 2 oil stove knocked over during quarrel oil fire spread to the couch Fire broke out at 4:20 am; victims mostly underage Happy Land fire The Bronx, New York United States 1990 87 6 arson gasoline Fifth-worst club fire in American history Flying nightclub fire Zaragoza, Aragon Spain 1990 43 electricalFlying, 30 años de la tragedia en El Periódico de AragónDISCOTECA FLYING: 30 AÑOS DE UNA NOCHE TRÁGICA en Heraldo de Aragón Daegu South Korea 1991 16 13 arson 6 liters of gasoline Fire started by spiteful rejected customer Kheyvis fire Olivos, Buenos Aires Argentina 1993 17 24 burning furniture (prank) Second-worst club fire in Argentine history Fuxin, Liaoning China 1994 233 16 sofa (caused by burning newspaper) decorations Ozone Disco fire Quezon City, Metro Manila Philippines 1996 162 95[Philippines sentences over 1996 Ozone Disco fire Philippines sentences over 1996 Ozone Disco fire] from BBC News.November 2014. possibly electrical Worst fire in Philippine history Rolling Stones fire Seoul South Korea 1996 11 3 discarded cigarette butt wet paint Fire trucks delayed by cars parked in narrow alley Gothenburg discothèque fire Gothenburg Sweden 1998 63 214 arsonMost victims were underage - event for secondary school students Incheon South Korea 1999 56 78 basement construction work Mostly underage victims; exit reportedly chained shut to prevent them from leaving without paying LA2 fire London United Kingdom 1999 0 pyrotechnics Pyro from the band Toilet Böys set fire to netting suspended from the ceiling Luoyang Christmas fireLuoyang, Henan China 2000309 7 welding Second deadliest nightclub fire in history. Construction and retail staff in the same building evacuated after internal broadcast, nightclub patrons on level four were forgotten about Lobohombo explosionMexico City Mexico 2000 22 24 gas canisters Volendam New Year's fire Volendam Netherlands 2001 14 241 pyrotechnics (sparkler) decorations (Christmas) Canecão Mineiro nightclub fire Belo Horizonte Brazil 2001 7 197 pyrotechnics Myojo 56 building fire Kabukicho, Shinjuku Japan 2001 44 3 suspected arson Fifth-deadliest fire in post-war Japanese history Club La Guajira fire Caracas Venezuela 200247 28 Christmas decoration Bouncer delayed exit asking patrons not to leave without paying Utopía nightclub fire Santiago de Surco, Lima Peru 2002 29 57 torch acoustic foam The Station nightclub fire West Warwick, Rhode Island United States 2003 100 230 pyrotechnics acoustic foam Deadliest firework accident and fourth-deadliest club fire in American history República Cromañón nightclub fire Buenos Aires Argentina 2004 194 1432 pyrotechnics plastic net (media sombra), styrofoam and wood decorations, acoustic panels Worst club fire in Argentine history El Festival Ballroom fire Houston, Texas United States 2004 1 3 arson Firefighter killed in fire; initially thought to have been started by a truck, quickly ruled as arson911 nightclub fireMoscowRussia2007104pyrotechnicsLounge cafe fireNovi SadSerbia200882arsonshag carpet on the wallsFire was intentionally set by a patron named Miloš Malešev. He was sentenced to nine years and his companion to two years. Two owners of the bar were sentenced to seven years each Quito Ultratumba nightclub fire Quito Ecuador 2008 15 35 pyrotechnicsThis incident prompted years of investigation, including a human rights investigation and summary report Wuwang Club fire Shenzhen, Guangdong China 2008 43 88 pyrotechnics Santika Club fire Watthana, Bangkok Thailand 2009 67 222 fireworks or electrical explosion tar paper, plastic waterproofingLame Horse fire Perm Russia 2009 158 ≤160 pyrotechnics decorations (willow twig) Worst fire in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet UnionSabor Latino fire Rome Italy 2010 electrical acoustic foam Taichung Taiwan 2011 9 13 Originated during a fire show by a male dancer on stage, described as holding sparklers, a torch, or LED torch that malfunctioned and produced sparksKontrast discotheque fireNovi SadSerbia201264electricalFour persons were sentenced to between five and nine years in 2014 Tiger Disco fire Patong, Phuket Thailand 2012 4 11 electrical acoustic foam Officially attributed to a short circuit, some reports stated that the fire started when lightning struck a nearby transformer Kiss nightclub fire Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul Brazil 2013 242 630 pyrotechnics acoustic foam Worst club fire and second worst fire disaster in Brazil, third deadliest club fire in history Musi-café Lac-Mégantic Canada 2013 28 unknown train derailment crude oil Sixth deadliest rail accident in Canadian history Colectiv nightclub fire Bucharest Romania 2015 64 160 pyrotechnics acoustic foam (polyurethane) Worst club fire in Romanian history Ghost Ship warehouse fire Oakland, CaliforniaUnited States 2016 36 2 undetermined, possibly electrical N/A Converted warehouse used as an art collective and venue. Fire officials say staircase to second floor was made out of wooden pallets Cuba Libre bar fire RouenFrance 2016 14 6 pyrotechnics polystyrene ceiling tiles Candles on a birthday cake started the fire after the person who carried it tripped on the stairs leading to the basement. Flames set the polystyrene ceiling tiles of the basement ceiling alight 2016 Hanoi karaoke bar fire Cầu Giấy, HanoiVietnam 2016 13 welding Magway karaoke bar fire MagwayMyanmar 2017 16 gas leak Yaoundé nightclub fire Yaoundé Cameroon 202216 8 fireworks Fireworks ignited the ceiling; eventually spread to gas bottles, causing explosions Sorong nightclub fire Sorong, West Papua Indonesia 2022 19 rioting One victim died from stabbing during clashes Mountain B nightclub fire Sattahip, ChonburiThailand 2022 26 22 possibly electrical soundproof foam Binh Duong karaoke bar fire Thuận An, Bình DươngVietnam 2022 32 3short circuit Kostroma café fire KostromaRussia 2022 13 5pyrotechnic flareInitial reports say that a pyrotechnic flare was released by a Russian soldier who had just returned from Ukraine Fonda Milagros nightclub fire MurciaSpain 2023 13 unknown Gayrettepe nightclub fire Beşiktaş, Istanbul Turkey 2024 29 8 possibly welding 2024 Hanoi karaoke bar fire Hanoi Vietnam 2024 11 2 arson gasoline Fire started by patron following an argument with staff Kočani nightclub fire KočaniNorth Macedonia 2025 63 195pyrotechnicsSparks from pyrotechnics hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, before rapidly spreadingBirch by Romeo Lane nightclub fireArporaIndia20252550firecrackersdried palm leavesCrans-Montana bar fireCrans-MontanaSwitzerland202641115lit sparklers acoustic foamSparklers placed on champagne bottles were held too close to acoustic foam on the ceiling, setting it alightRong Beer Na Lat Phrao beer hall fireChatuchak, BangkokThailand20264164short circuit in air conditioner (initial reporting)acoustic foamEarly reports say an air conditioner short-circuited, igniting flammable ceiling decorations. Reports also say emergency exits may have been obstructed
See also List of fires List of building or structure fires List of fireworks accidents and incidents, many of which caused a nightclub fire.
References