Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Two firefighters from the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sur were convicted Wednesday in connection with a January 2013 nightclub fire that killed 242 people.
A retired colonel who commanded the fire department in the town of Santa Maria at the time and a captain were each sentenced to one year in jail by a military court for having granted the local Kiss nightclub a permit to operate, though it lacked the necessary fire prevention system.
Six other firefighters were acquitted, though the eight defendants still face trial in a civilian court, along with the nightclub’s two owners and two members of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, which was performing at the club.
The fire struck with the nightclub packed with university students.
Investigators allege that a member of the band caused the fire when he lit a flare that set sound-proof foam on the ceiling ablaze, while factors including faulty fire extinguishers and a lack of fire escapes contributed to the death toll.
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