A massive fire at a nightclub in Arpora village of North Goa early on Sunday claimed at least 25 lives and left several others injured. The fire broke out shortly after midnight at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, which is located around 25 kilometres from Panaji. Officials said the fire is suspected to have started after a cylinder blast inside the premises.
According to police, 14 of the dead were staff members while the rest were tourists and visitors. Six people have been reported injured, and the state government has said that all of them are in stable condition. The blaze spread very fast through the club, which eyewitnesses say was partly built using palm leaves and temporary materials that caught fire easily.
A tourist who survived the incident said many people tried to escape by rushing downstairs, but some ended up inside the kitchen area and got trapped along with staff members. “There was a temporary construction made up of palm leaves which easily caught fire,” the eyewitness said. 
The narrow approach to the club made rescue work even harder. Firefighters could not bring their vehicles to the entrance, and the fire tenders had to stop almost 400 metres away, causing delays in reaching the site and controlling the blaze.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and said an FIR has been registered against the owner and the general manager of the nightclub. Arrest warrants have also been issued. The Chief Minister said the inquiry will look into whether fire safety rules and construction norms were followed.
There are also questions about the legality of the nightclub structure. The local village sarpanch claimed that the establishment did not have a construction licence and that multiple demolition orders had been issued earlier. According to the sarpanch, the demolition notice was stayed after an appeal was filed.
Political reactions have come in from various leaders across parties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed condolences and said they were monitoring the situation. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also expressed grief and called for a proper investigation. Rahul Gandhi described the fire as “a criminal failure of safety and governance”.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was deeply anguished by the loss of lives, while other opposition leaders asked for strict accountability and enforcement of safety norms in public places. Goa Congress President Amit Patkar demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister, calling the incident a “black day in Goa’s tourism history”.
