As many as 233 people are believed to have died early today in a lightning like fire that swept through a nightclub in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria. Most victims appear to have died from the thick smoke that blinded any attempt at organized escape. Many died from trampling in the panic, It appears that ceiling acoustical tiles caught fire during a band’s pyrotechnic show. The Kiss Club was massive — designed to hold as many as 3,000. One report said there were about 1,000 inside at the time of the fire. The Diário de Santa Maria website said the fire broke out around 2 a.m. local time Sunday. CNN
