17 killed, dozens injured as fire breaks out in Indonesian karaoke bar

[ButIFeelGood]

17 killed, dozens injured as fire breaks out in packed Indonesian karaoke bar

The fire started at about 1am on the second floor of the three-storey building.

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 25 October, 2015, 10:08pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 25 October, 2015, 10:08pm

Associated Press in Manado

The fire-damaged Inul Vizta karaoke club. Photo: AFP

Seventeen people were killed in a fire that raced through a packed karaoke bar early yesterday on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, and 71 others were sent to hospital for smoke inhalation.

The fire started at about 1am on the second floor of the three-storey building as hundreds of people were singing in private rooms at the Inul Vizta Karaoke club in downtown Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, said the city police chief, Colonel Rio Permana.

Workers were unable to put out fires with extinguishers. Many complained that fire engines arriving late, about an hour later. It took firefighters several hours to bring the blaze under control.

"We are still investigating the cause of the fire," Permana said, but a preliminary investigation indicated a short circuit.

He said some panicked people smashed windows and fled into the street while many others were stuck in choking black smoke billowing from the second floor as there was only one access door to the building.

All 17 people who died were Indonesians. Most died from smoke inhalation rather than burns, Permana said.