A Russian Roof on Fire

I woke up this morning around 9 a.m. Checked the news on my phone and came across this Huffington Post article:

Russian Nightclub fire kills 109

As I read the article, I wasn't as astonished by the number of deaths as some other facts that I had come across. Apparently, Russian nightclubs and resturants think that covering their ceilings with twigs is a great way to bring in the crowd and make them have a connection to nature. Or [paraphrased from HuffPost] 'gives the building a rustic look'.

I also read that fire safety precautions are not entirely enforced as much as they should be. Officials have been somewhat lacking in the push of the safety codes, allowing twigs and plastic ceilings to fly with establishments, regardless of the possible consequences.

With those 109 dead, a good deal of the people died from smoke exhaustion, but also from being trampled. A quote from a Russian nightclubber stated that there was only "one exit". This nightclub had obviously broken more than one violation, but was still allowed to operate.

I never believed that pyrotechnics were good for close quarters. Almost like at wrestling shows when all those pyros and fireworks go off as the wrestler's wobble out to their favorite theme song. I always get a chill up my spine for the audience members who have to sit closest to where those fire hazardous materials are set off.

[Speaking of wrestling: For those wrestling veterans, Rikishi's brother (Umaga) died yesterday -

Umaga Dies of Heartattack ]

Those 109 were somebody's children, and I believe that is a part that should really be taken into account. The fact that some of the parents who still allowed thier son or daughter to live in their home will now have to deal with the fact that they either knew or allowed their child to go to this venue, despite possibly knowing what their child was getting into. Of course this is all assumption, but it is possible.

According to the Huff Post, this had been the largest fire massacre since Russia was known as the Soviet Union. Not to mention that there was a nursing home fire back in 2007 that killed 23 people, despite officials knowing of fire hazards and simply not doing anything about it.

Maybe this will help those officials who have been so negligent to get back on the bandwagon and start keeping their Russian citizens safe while thier partying it up in the forest deck-out clubs.