Report on the ‘Colectiv’ Fire

Five months after the tragic accident at the 'Colectiv' nightclub in Bucharest, the Prime Minister's Control Unit publishes a report revealing many irregularities.

Corina Cristea, 23.03.2016, 13:07

64 people died in
the devastating fire that broke out at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest on
the night of October 30th. Some 200 people were wounded. The event
had a powerful impact and was followed by large-scale street protests, which
triggered the resignation of Prime Minister Victor Ponta. The three owners of
the ‘Colectiv’ club are currently under home arrest and prosecuted for
manslaughter.

The investigations conducted after the tragedy have revealed the
fact that the drop ceiling of the club was made up of highly flammable
materials, the ventilation system had not been installed correctly and part of
the electrical installation was improper. Also, neither the local authorities, nor the Inspectorate for Emergency
Situations or the State Inspectorate for Constructions had drawn up the necessary control papers and had not
taken the required measures.

Now, almost five months since the tragedy, the
Prime Minister’s Control Unit has published a report showing that the emergency
intervention after the fire was largely uncoordinated and characterized by
improvisation on the authorities’ part. That happened because of the lack of
training on emergency situations, legislative incongruity and scarcity of
materials, the report also reads. According to the same document, the plan red
intervention was not started immediately, but only after too many bureaucratic
moves, although at least one of the calls received presented elements showing
quite clearly that the situation was severe, in which case the legislation in
force allowed the use of faster intervention mechanisms. The report also notes
that there were institutions that did their job properly and others that did
not, such as the Bucharest – Ilfov
‘Dealul Spirii’ Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.