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| After Fire, Some Brazilians Fault a Nation’s Sense of Fatalism | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| SANTA MARIA, Brazil — First there was the shock over the chaotic nightclub fire here that killed more than 230 people, many of them promising university students. Then there was the grief as families began burying their dead. | SANTA MARIA, Brazil — First there was the shock over the chaotic nightclub fire here that killed more than 230 people, many of them promising university students. Then there was the grief as families began burying their dead. |
| Now the soul-searching has begun, as Brazilians here and abroad ask how such a tragedy could have occurred in the first place. | Now the soul-searching has begun, as Brazilians here and abroad ask how such a tragedy could have occurred in the first place. |
| “This is the most senseless thing I can imagine,” said José Joel Castro, 64, a retired railroad worker whose daughter, Natana, a 21-year-old law student, died in the blaze early Sunday morning. “One minute my daughter is dancing, having some fun with friends — the next minute they are dead. I simply cannot comprehend it.” | “This is the most senseless thing I can imagine,” said José Joel Castro, 64, a retired railroad worker whose daughter, Natana, a 21-year-old law student, died in the blaze early Sunday morning. “One minute my daughter is dancing, having some fun with friends — the next minute they are dead. I simply cannot comprehend it.” |
| Nor can many others in this country, setting off a debate across Brazilian society about how — or even if — the nation can prevent such a disaster from happening again. | Nor can many others in this country, setting off a debate across Brazilian society about how — or even if — the nation can prevent such a disaster from happening again. |
| “In a few weeks we will forget our dead, perhaps because we’ll be crying over other dead as well, victims of tragedies which we know will occur,” Sérgio Abranches, a sociologist in Rio de Janeiro, said in a scathing essay about the nightclub fire and the sense of fatalism with which Brazilians often react to such preventable disasters. | “In a few weeks we will forget our dead, perhaps because we’ll be crying over other dead as well, victims of tragedies which we know will occur,” Sérgio Abranches, a sociologist in Rio de Janeiro, said in a scathing essay about the nightclub fire and the sense of fatalism with which Brazilians often react to such preventable disasters. |
| Of course, Brazil is far from the only country forced to confront such issues. Just in the last decade, lethal nightclub fires have broken out in Argentina, Russia and the United States. Yet the blaze here has stirred frustrations that the protections for human life that exist on paper are not vigorously enforced, even as Brazil wins plaudits for its vibrant democracy and economic might. | Of course, Brazil is far from the only country forced to confront such issues. Just in the last decade, lethal nightclub fires have broken out in Argentina, Russia and the United States. Yet the blaze here has stirred frustrations that the protections for human life that exist on paper are not vigorously enforced, even as Brazil wins plaudits for its vibrant democracy and economic might. |
| History has something to do with it. Large tragedies that could have been prevented, or at least alleviated to a large degree, have occurred for decades, occupying a painful place in the national consciousness. | History has something to do with it. Large tragedies that could have been prevented, or at least alleviated to a large degree, have occurred for decades, occupying a painful place in the national consciousness. |
| In 2011, floods and landslides struck hillside communities precariously built in the state of Rio de Janeiro, leaving more than 600 people dead. In 1989, a boat of partygoers capsized near Rio, killing more than 50 people. And in 1961, a fire at a circus in the city of Niterói killed more than 500 people. | In 2011, floods and landslides struck hillside communities precariously built in the state of Rio de Janeiro, leaving more than 600 people dead. In 1989, a boat of partygoers capsized near Rio, killing more than 50 people. And in 1961, a fire at a circus in the city of Niterói killed more than 500 people. |
| Then there are the smaller tragedies that barely register abroad but are all too common in Brazil. Bus crashes leave dozens of passengers dead. Office buildings collapse. The homicide rate, while lower in large cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro than it was a decade ago, remains higher nationwide than in Mexico, which is in the grip of a war against drug-trafficking organizations. | Then there are the smaller tragedies that barely register abroad but are all too common in Brazil. Bus crashes leave dozens of passengers dead. Office buildings collapse. The homicide rate, while lower in large cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro than it was a decade ago, remains higher nationwide than in Mexico, which is in the grip of a war against drug-trafficking organizations. |
| In another caustic assessment of the nightclub fire, the newspaper O Globo said in an editorial on Tuesday that an array of factors, involving “administrative ineptitude, corruption, omission of public authorities and conformity of the common citizen,” contributes to a loss of life in Brazil that is at once alarming and banal. | In another caustic assessment of the nightclub fire, the newspaper O Globo said in an editorial on Tuesday that an array of factors, involving “administrative ineptitude, corruption, omission of public authorities and conformity of the common citizen,” contributes to a loss of life in Brazil that is at once alarming and banal. |
| “The tragedy in Santa Maria imposes on society a reflection about a national culture of leniency,” O Globo said, singling out traffic deaths on Brazil’s roads during national holidays as another example of senseless tragedy in which individual responsibility plays a part. | “The tragedy in Santa Maria imposes on society a reflection about a national culture of leniency,” O Globo said, singling out traffic deaths on Brazil’s roads during national holidays as another example of senseless tragedy in which individual responsibility plays a part. |
| Still, the swift reaction by the authorities to the nightclub fire has lifted hope among some Brazilians that it could be a turning point. The 1903 fire at Chicago’s Iroquois Theater, which killed more than 600 people, spurred tougher safety standards in the United States, and many Brazilians are hoping for the same kind of reaction. | Still, the swift reaction by the authorities to the nightclub fire has lifted hope among some Brazilians that it could be a turning point. The 1903 fire at Chicago’s Iroquois Theater, which killed more than 600 people, spurred tougher safety standards in the United States, and many Brazilians are hoping for the same kind of reaction. |
| Police investigators detained four people for questioning on Monday, including two owners of the club who the authorities said had been operating with an expired permit and without a fire alarm or sprinklers. | Police investigators detained four people for questioning on Monday, including two owners of the club who the authorities said had been operating with an expired permit and without a fire alarm or sprinklers. |
| Two members of the band suspected of starting the fire with a pyrotechnics display were also taken into custody. One inspector told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday that band members had bought flares meant for outdoor use because they cost $1.25 a piece, compared with $35 for an indoor flare. | Two members of the band suspected of starting the fire with a pyrotechnics display were also taken into custody. One inspector told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday that band members had bought flares meant for outdoor use because they cost $1.25 a piece, compared with $35 for an indoor flare. |
| In other Brazilian cities, the authorities are reviewing code regulations and are raiding establishments found to be in violation. For instance, in Manaus, the largest city in the Brazilian Amazon, officials shut down 17 nightclubs, some which were found to have had empty fire extinguishers. | In other Brazilian cities, the authorities are reviewing code regulations and are raiding establishments found to be in violation. For instance, in Manaus, the largest city in the Brazilian Amazon, officials shut down 17 nightclubs, some which were found to have had empty fire extinguishers. |
| But scholars of Brazil’s labyrinthine regulatory systems say the real work goes beyond a few arrests and inspections. Moacyr Duarte, a senior researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said complex and inefficient public bureaucracies remained an obstacle to disaster prevention, even as public budgets have been strengthened over the past decade. | But scholars of Brazil’s labyrinthine regulatory systems say the real work goes beyond a few arrests and inspections. Moacyr Duarte, a senior researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said complex and inefficient public bureaucracies remained an obstacle to disaster prevention, even as public budgets have been strengthened over the past decade. |
| “You can’t create a police officer or a rescue worker like you do instant noodles, in three minutes,” Mr. Duarte said. “We don’t need new measures. We need supervision and enhanced integration between public powers.” | “You can’t create a police officer or a rescue worker like you do instant noodles, in three minutes,” Mr. Duarte said. “We don’t need new measures. We need supervision and enhanced integration between public powers.” |
| But others questioned whether the disaster said anything about Brazil in particular, pointing out that no nation was immune to tragedy. | But others questioned whether the disaster said anything about Brazil in particular, pointing out that no nation was immune to tragedy. |
| “You can’t put the blame on Brazil or on any other country,” said Cristiano Marinho, 38, a security guard in São Paulo. | “You can’t put the blame on Brazil or on any other country,” said Cristiano Marinho, 38, a security guard in São Paulo. |
| Mr. Castro, the retiree whose daughter died in the fire, said that neither the club owners nor the band members were entirely to blame for the tragedy. | Mr. Castro, the retiree whose daughter died in the fire, said that neither the club owners nor the band members were entirely to blame for the tragedy. |
| “Those responsible are the people we elected to protect us,” he said. | “Those responsible are the people we elected to protect us,” he said. |
| “City Hall,” he specified. “They failed to prevent this from happening.” | “City Hall,” he specified. “They failed to prevent this from happening.” |
Lis Horta Moriconi contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro, and Jill Langlois from São Paulo, Brazil. | Lis Horta Moriconi contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro, and Jill Langlois from São Paulo, Brazil. |