Nightclub fires, like the recent tragedy at Le Constellation in Switzerland, have once again highlighted a grim reality: indoor pyrotechnic devices and combustible acoustic insulation dramatically increase the lethality of fires in entertainment venues.
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An examination of the 15 deadliest nightclub fires since 2000 shows how frequently these two factors recur. In 80% of cases, at least one of them—pyrotechnic devices or sound-insulation foam—was present. Pyrotechnics featured in 73% of the incidents; acoustic foam in 47%. Six of the 15 disasters involved both elements. Together, those six incidents—including Kiss in Brazil in 2013 (242 deaths), República Cromañón in Argentina in 2004 (194), The Station in the United States in 2003 (100) and Colectiv in Romania in 2015 (64)—accounted for 57% of all fatalities recorded in the sample, or 669 of 1,166 deaths. And, pyrotechnic devices were involved in 90% of the deaths.
Other factors clearly matter. Faulty electrical installations can start fires, and blocked or inadequate emergency exits and overcrowding frequently worsen outcomes. Fires such as those at Binh Duong karaoke bar in Vietnam in 2022 and the Ghost Ship warehouse in the United States in 2016, neither of which involved pyrotechnics or acoustic foam, still caused dozens of deaths. Yet the pattern remains striking. None of the seven most catastrophic nightclub fires since 2000 occurred without at least one of these two aggravating elements.
The lesson, repeated over more than two decades of tragedy, is stark: when fireworks meet flammable soundproofing in enclosed spaces, the risk of disaster rises.
This week, Vaud introduced a ban on indoor pyrotechnics.
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