Understanding the Human Behavior in the Kiss Nightclub Fire: Analysis of a Survey with Survivors

This paper presents unpublished results and analysis of data collected in a survey with survivors of the Kiss nightclub fire. The goal is to better understand their behavior and the factors that influenced in the evacuation process on the night of the fire. The survey started in July 2019 and ended in March 2021, receiving valid responses from 162 participants. Responses, expressed as nominal or ordinal qualitative variables, were statistically processed using a public domain software and the same software, which was also used to check for dependence between pairs of variables using the chi-squared test. The answers to the discursive questions were analyzed using a generative artificial intelligence algorithm to identify the expression of feelings and actions presented in the survivors’ statements. This approach handles the informal typical language of daily conversations, reducing subjectivity inherent in the manual analysis of these responses. Based on the respondents’ information, it was concluded that people were slow to correctly identify that a fire was occurring and consequently, to decide to leave the building. Additionally, several survivors reported searching for others before initiating the evacuation. The absence of a fire alarm system or guidance from local staff significantly contributed to this delay. There was a sense of confusion and insecurity among people during the whole process, due to lack of communication. Many respondents stated they helped others to evacuate or were assisted when leaving, demonstrating altruism and solidarity. The rapid development of the fire and the generation of dense smoke, as well as the difficulty to move around inside the building due to the presence of physical obstacles, worsened the evacuation process. Most of the respondents suffered some kind of injury during the evacuation. The results emphasizes the importance of securing strategies to reduce the pre-evacuation time in this type of occupancy, such as improving communication and training local staff to deal with emergency situations.