Lame Horse fire

More than 150 people died. According to initial reports, up to 160 more were injured in the fire; however many of the wounded lost their lives in the following days in hospitals. The nightclub was in the middle of a celebration of its eighth anniversary at the time. A total of 282 people had reportedly been invited to the club's anniversary party.

The fire

Approximately 300 people were in the club when the fire began. Ignition occurred when a performance artist threw cold-flame pyrotechnics into the air. Sparks from the fireworks hit the plastic covering of the ceiling, igniting it. An announcer then told the guests to evacuate. As the crowd began to calmly exit the building, the wooden decorations on the interior walls of the club ignited, and the building filled with smoke.

When the evacuation started, some people left via rear exits. The vast intake of oxygen turned the club's hall into a large fire tube and boosted the spread of fire. As fumes and smoke overtook the air, panic erupted and patrons stampeded toward the exit. According to witnesses, one leaf of the club's double doors was sealed shut, and the public was unaware of the backdoor exit behind the stage not shown by emergency lighting.

A club visitor's report about emergency service activity:

After I had got out, there were no firemen or emergency service for about twenty minutes — nobody at all. <…> There were only two ambulances altogether. They managed to take six or seven men and left. No more ambulance cars arrived, at least I saw none. Firemen had pulled out a number of people by then. Half-clothed, they were simply laid on the cold asphalt. Nobody cared for them. It seemed that the aid was needed but there were no ambulances. <…> People were lying on the ground for about an hour and a half. Definitely for no less than an hour. It could be that many of them died because of this. Because of the cold. It was 16 degrees below zero outdoors. These were the strongest impressions: people lying in snow for an hour without any aid.

Another report of a volunteer involved in evacuation:

I rushed to the ambulance which for unclear reasons was standing far off at the crossroads. I asked why they were idling and they replied that they hadn’t been given orders. It turned out that we pulled out a lot of people most of which were still alive. I think it was possible to save around 70 percent of them within first seconds. But nobody helped. <…> I drove to the 9th medical post. Asked a guard where the toxicology department was. Found the door of the admission room and started to knock but nobody opened it for a long time. Then they looked out saying that they would come out soon and vanished. So I came in by myself, delivered them a man and drove back. By that time the officials had already arrived and the place of tragedy had been cordoned. I ran to firemen, asked how I could help but there were enough men without me, so I went round looking for injured who needed to be taken to their homes. Most of the people whom we had brought out earlier were already covered.

As of January 1, 2010, 153 people are known to have died as a result of the fire, (94 died at the scene and the rest in hospitals) and 62 victims are still receiving medical treatment in hospitals. During three days following the fire, EMERCOM used specially equipped "mobile hospital" Il-76TD aircraft to transport 65 injured to Moscow and 28 to St. Petersburg. Most of the injured who were transported to Moscow and Saint Petersburg have poor prognoses for recovery. Currently 35 fire victims in hospitals have very poor prognoses. Only several victims were released from hospitals by the end of December. Most victims in more serious condition would need 2–3 months of treatment and likely a year rehabilitation afterwards, including multiple cosmetic surgeries.

One Ukrainian citizen died and another was injured as a result of the incident. The injured Ukrainian later died in a Perm clinic.

Response

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dispatched two planes equipped to transport burn trauma victims. President Dmitry Medvedev sent many high-level government officials to Perm to aid the victims, manage the incident, and start the criminal investigation, commenting that those who started the blaze "have neither brains, nor conscience". Medvedev declared December 7, 2009 a national day of mourning.

In Perm, a hotline was established for residents seeking information about the injured or deceased.

Aftermath

Rumors have circulated that the incident was a terrorist plot, but the Russian Prosecutor's Investigative Committee spokesman, Vladimir Markin, declared that the fire was caused by unsanctioned use of fireworks indoors.

The fire was the deadliest in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The previous high death toll for a fire was in March 2007, at a Krasnodar assisted living home, which claimed 63 lives. There have been several other deadly fires in public places around Russia in recent years, attributed to the lax enforcement of fire safety regulations.

The disaster bears some similarities to the 2003 Station fire in the US state of Rhode Island, caused by the improper usage of indoor pyrotechnics which ignited the flammable sound-proofing foam in the building, killing 100 people. Some survivors and relatives of the victims of that fire expressed their sadness that a similar tragedy had occurred again.

An emergency services spokesman stated most victims died from smoke inhalation and/or carbon monoxide poisoning. Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu issued a ban on fireworks at many upcoming New Years and Christmas festivities, and President Medvedev ordered a complete review of fire safety regulations. Additionally, by mid December, Moscow Fire Safety Authority motioned suspending activity of 54 nightclubs and cafes in Moscow alone after surprise checks of 450 facilities revealed safety violations on part of these businesses. Typical violations were lack of a fire alarm, bars installed on windows, construction materials blocking walkways. Some contested court decision and were going to file complaints to prosecutor's office. Others, including popular Moscow clubs B2 and IKRA, fixed their violations quickly and resumed operations. St. Petersburg Fire Safety Authority as a result of surprise checks motioned suspension of activity for 25 venues.

On December 9, 2009, the head of city administration Arkady Kats announced his decision to resign citing the disaster as a reason. On the same day, Perm Krai Governor Oleg Chirkunov accepted resignation of the local government. He announced that the new government will be formed only after the fire investigation is finished. On December 11, Perm City Council did not accept Arkady Kats' resignation but instead suspended him from duty for a month. On December 16, opposition party A Just Russia also called for Emergency Situation Minister Shoigu to resign.

During her Moscow concert on December 9, 2009, American singer Whitney Houston dedicated the song "I Look To You" to the victims of the nightclub fire saying, "I want to sing this song in memory of those who died in the Russian city of Perm".