A technical report by the Goa Fire Department revealed that a serious fire at a nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, on Saturday night, 6th December, could have been avoided had basic precautions against fire been taken. The report said that although the emergency teams responded quickly, the lack of essential fire safety systems and several unauthorised activities around the site made the disaster worse and led to heavy loss of life.
According to the report from the Fire Department, the incident shows serious failure in fire prevention and maintenance of standards of safety and preparedness for emergencies.
Casualties and cause of death
The report stated that 25 people lost their lives and 20 others were rescued during the tragedy. Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation due to toxic smoke and lack of oxygen, conditions often found in fires that occur in enclosed areas, especially basements. The basement of the nightclub reportedly had poor ventilation and blocked exits, which made it hard for trapped people to escape in time.
VIDEO | At least 23 persons were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in North Goa following a cylinder blast late Saturday night.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 7, 2025
Most of the dead were the club's kitchen workers, and included three women, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. There were “three to four tourists” among… pic.twitter.com/n5MHNGKKbs
Officials said the nightclub did not have a valid No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department, meaning it was operating without fulfilling mandatory fire safety norms.
The report said that conditions inside the basement became deadly within minutes. Smoke accumulated rapidly, escape routes became invisible, and temperatures rose to the point that flashover, a sudden burst of flames, likely occurred. These conditions, the report added, are consistent with fatal smoke exposure within a few minutes of ignition.
Emergency response and rescue efforts
The Mapusa fire control room received the first call about the fire around 12:04 a.m. When fire units arrived, the blaze had already engulfed the basement and ground floor, which covered about 300 square meters. Firefighters said that by then, the fire was intense, damaging furniture, wiring, and much of the club’s structure. It took nearly five hours, until 4:45 a.m., to completely extinguish the flames.
Officials said it was difficult to control the fire due to narrow lanes leading to the club. Fire trucks and water tankers had to be parked nearly 400 meters away, delaying operations. The small entry doors and a narrow bridge made it almost impossible for many people to escape, leading to more deaths from suffocation on the ground floor and in the kitchen.
Following the tragedy, police arrested the nightclub’s management team, including chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur. An FIR has also been registered against the club’s owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, as well as the event organisers.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ordered an inquiry to identify officials responsible for allowing the nightclub to operate without proper permissions. Three senior government officers, Siddhi Tushar Harlankar (Director of Panchayat), Dr Shamila Monteiro (Member Secretary, Goa State Pollution Control Board), and Raghuvir Bagkar (Secretary, Village Panchayat Arpora-Nagoa), were suspended for their roles in approving the nightclub’s operation in 2023.
I am closely reviewing the situation arising from the tragic fire incident at Arpora, in which 25 people have lost their lives and 6 have been injured. All six injured persons are in a stable condition and are receiving the best medical care. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry…
— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) December 7, 2025
The government has also formed a high-level probe panel consisting of the South Goa Collector, the Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services, and the Director of the Forensic Laboratory. The committee has been asked to submit its findings within a week.
CM announces the ex gratia of ₹5 lakh
The Chief Minister announced an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to the families of each deceased person and ₹50,000 to the injured. The state will also arrange for the bodies to be taken to their home states.
Out of the 25 people who died, 20 were club staff members who originally came from Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Assam, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Four of them were Nepali citizens. The state government has said it will arrange to send their bodies home.
The panchayat sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa, Roshan Redkar, told reporters that there was an ownership dispute between the two partners of the nightclub, and the panchayat had issued a demolition notice to the establishment because it was built without proper permission. However, the demolition order is said to have been stayed by higher officials.
