Elsevier

Burns

Volume 29, Issue 5, August 2003, Pages 405-416
Burns

The discotheque fire in Gothenburg 1998: A tragedy among teenagers

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-4179(03)00074-3Get rights and content

Abstract

The fire disaster in Gothenburg, Sweden, 1998 killing 63 and wounding 213 teenagers was caused by arson committed by a youth from the same community. The fire was started in the basement of an overcrowded discotheque and made, due to unfortunate circumstances, devastating progress. The ensuing rescue work performed by other youth, fire fighters, police and medical staff was prompt and must be seen in the light of a very difficult situation. As a result of these orchestrated efforts and the fact that this disaster occurred in a major city with substantial resources, all the injured were able to be hospitalized within 2 h. The load on four local hospitals was initially severe due to the large number of injured and the limited number of staff on night duty. The situation was contained by relocating patients from the intensive care units to ordinary wards and by transporting several of the most severe burn injuries by helicopter to burn units in other parts of Sweden and to Norway. Hundreds of relatives and friends gathered at the local hospitals. This was a new experience for the hospitals and staff, involving many positive aspects as well as some negative aspects such as violence, threats and rumors. As a result of the large number of injuries vast psychosocial rehabilitation program was initiated by health care staff, religious communions, schools and the community, has continued over the past years. Such a disaster emphasises a requirement for extensive preparation not only in the rescue and medical services, but also in the ways and areas to rehabilitate patients in society.

Introduction

Indoor fire disasters have taken place in circus tents, theatres, cinemas, hotels, restaurants, department stores and nightclubs around the world [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. The largest number of deaths reported in an indoor fire occurred in 1845 in Canton, China, when a theatre burned down killing 1670 people. Previous indoor fire disasters in Sweden occurred at the City Hotel of Borås in 1978, where 20 young people were killed and 66 were injured [6] and on the Scandinavian Star ferry in 1990, killing 158 and injuring 30 people [7]. An important incident preceding the present fire disaster was the Estonia ferry disaster, where a passenger ship sunk leaving 796 dead [8]. It became apparent after this accident that a vast psychosocial effort would be reached in the aftermath of similar disasters in the future, and that society had to prepare for it. Thanks to extensive reorganization of the rescue plan of the city of Gothenburg following the Estonia disaster, the difficult situation encountered following the discotheque fire was efficiently dealt with, although new experiences emerged triggering re-evaluation of the plan and further improvements. This was further actualized by a most recent incident on 17 May 2002, when a significant fire started on board the passenger ferry “Princess of Scandinavia” carrying 758 passengers off the coast of Britain. Fire fighters on board managed to extinguish the fire and no injuries were reported.

Fire disasters have plagued human societies throughout their history and will continue to do so in the future. By preparing society for the eventuality of a fire disaster, we can improve the outcome. Sharing information with the international community on such events is therefore of uttermost importance. The recent tragic disaster in Volendam, the Netherlands, on 1 January 2001 [9], showed many similarities with the current discotheque fire, with mass injuries among teenagers. Victims from the Gothenburg disaster have therefore visited and exchanged experiences with Volendam victims, and have been able to help them in their rehabilitation into society.

Section snippets

The discotheque

The fire started in a two-storey concrete and brick building housing the Macedonian association, a theatre and a few shops (Fig. 1). The building is located in an industrial area in the central part of Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden, with approximately 500,000 inhabitants. The Macedonian club was housed on the second floor of the building and covered a total area of 225 m2 (9m×32 m) (Fig. 2). Two doors (0.9 m wide) led into the club, one serving as the main entrance and a second,

Discussion

Indoor fire disasters reported from around the world often have several characteristics in common [10]. The fire often starts in an unguarded area of the compound where a fire alarm is lacking. In a majority of incidents, the alarm is not raised in time and the evacuation is delayed due to a number of well-established psychological factors [11]. The fire-escape routes are often insufficient, locked or blocked as was the case in the current disaster in Gothenburg where the organizers, in order

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