Bucharest Bamboo club, destroyed by violent fire

The Bucharest-based nightclub Bamboo, which is owned by Italian businessman Joshua Castellano, was destroyed due to a violent fire that erupted on Saturday morning. Around 100-200 people were inside the building at the moment of the incident.

According to the national emergency department (ISU), 40 people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. One of the persons is in a grave situation. It is not clear why the whole club, which covers 10,000 square meters and had an interior stage, was engulfed in flames.

The lawyers of the club’s administrator said that Bamboo club respected all the laws and the building had enough functional exit doors in case of fire.

Meanwhile, Dan Cristian Popescu, the deputy mayor of District 2, where the club is located, told Digi24: “The club didn’t have a permit to operate and the construction authorization was not received. This is the reason why it did not have a permit to operate”. He added that the club was fined for this reasons and the next step would have been to close it down.

Although smoking has been banned in public enclosed spaces, one witness told News.ro that people were still smoking inside Bamboo club.

Bamboo club was reopened last year after some construction works. The club is part of Bamboo group, which also includes nightclub LeGaga, a ballroom, a fitness center and a pool.

club bamboo This was the second time when the club was destroyed by fire, following a similar incident in 2005. Bamboo was one of the most popular nightclub destinations for celebrities, including TV stars and football players. The club was also a party destination for foreigners arriving in Bucharest.

The worst club fire in Romania’s history occurred on October 30 2015 at Colectiv club, which killed 64 people.

On Saturday morning, president Klaus Iohannis wrote on his Facebook that “we have just avoided another massive tragedy”. He added that rules and laws seem to have been breached in the case of Bamboo club.