A blaze sparked by onstage fireworks tore through a nightclub ceiling covered in twigs and plastic sheeting early Saturday, killing at least 109 people and critically injuring about 90 in Russia's deadliest fire since the fall of the Soviet Union, witnesses and officials said. Many victims died in a panicked crush for the single exit as they attempted to escape the flames and thick black smoke, witnesses said. Hundreds of people had gathered at the Lame Horse nightclub Friday night to celebrate the anniversary of the popular establishment's opening in the industrial city of Perm in the Ural Mountains. Video recorded by a clubgoer and shown on Russian television showed celebrants dancing before sparks from pyrotechnic fountains on stage ignited the club's ceiling around midnight. Witness Svetlana Kuvshinova told the AP that the blaze swiftly consumed twigs decorating the ceiling. Russian clubs and restaurants often cover ceiling with plastic insulation and a layer of willow twigs to create a rustic look. “The fire took seconds to spread,” Kuvshinova said. “It was like a dry haystack. There was only one way out. They nearly stampeded me.” The footage showed the fire spreading through what appeared to be willow twigs as a host shouted in a casual tone: “Ladies and Gentlemen, guests of the club, we are on fire. Please leave the hall!” The video showed people reluctantly heading toward the exit, some of them turning back to look at the burning ceiling. Within seconds they started rushing away in panic as flames begin to spread faster. “There was only one exit, and people starting breaking down the doors to get out,” said a woman who identified herself only as Olga, smeared with soot and wearing a filthy fur coat. “They were breaking the door and panic set in. Everything was in smoke. I couldn't see anything.” A nightclub fire in the US state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling. Russian officials said club managers had ignored repeated demands from authorities to change the interior to comply with fire safety standards. Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Dmitry Medvedev by videoconference from Perm that the club managers had not sought the required permit for the fireworks display that triggered the fire.
