Brazil Nightclub Fire — Did the World Not Learn from the Station Fire?

Today Rhode Island's eyes are on the tragedy of the Brazil nightclub fire, which is a painful experience of deja-vu for the state.

A fire tore through a Kiss nightclub in Brazil Sunday morning, killing more than 200 people and left 120 injured, reports CNN. The Brazil nightclub was allegedly packed with more than 2000 people, double its capacity.

The story has startling similarities to Feb. 20, 2003, when the band Great White took the stage at The Station nightclub in West Warwick. 

There are reports that the Brazil nightclub's insulation foam ignited the fire. Pyrotechnics set fire to flammable soundproofing foam that lined the walls and ceiling in the 2003 Station nightclub fire.

Concertgoers pushed and shoved in a frantic attempt to get out of the Brazil nightclub, similar to the heart-wrenching stories we still hear from survivors of the 2003 fire.

Since the Station fire, Rhode Island has introduced laws to avoid a similar tragedy: sprinkler systems in businesses, regulations on pyrotechnics and enforcement of capacity laws. 

Last September, the owner of the former site of the Station donated the land for a permanent memorial to the 100 people killed in the fire.
 

What do you think?

Ten years later, as we watch the story of the Brazil nightclub fire unfold, what are your thoughts? Why didn't the world learn from our tragedy?