CleanupBot II at 18:59, 13 August 2023

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{{Infobox event|title=Bangalore Circus Fire|date=07 February 1981|place=Venus Circus, Bangalore, India|injuries=300|fatalities=92}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
The '''Bangalore circus fire''' occurred on 7 February 1981 at the [[Venus Circus]] in [[Bangalore]], [[India]], where more than 92 lives were lost, the majority of them being children.

==Incident==
The day of the fire was the last day of the circus, with school children being the bulk of the audience as the gates had been left open by [[circus]] management and many were accompanied by teachers or parents.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Gangadhar|first=Nikhil|date=2016-04-11|title=Bengaluru can't forget the fire tragedy of 1981|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/539771/bengaluru-cant-forget-fire-tragedy.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}</ref> Eyewitnesses later stated that shortly after the trapeze artist landed cries of ''"Benki, Benki!"'' (''"Fire, Fire!"'') were heard throughout the tent.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Kodkani|first=Jayanth|date=February 16, 2020|title=Venus Circus tragedy and the rings of fire {{!}} Bengaluru News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/venus-circus-tragedy-and-the-rings-of-fire/articleshow/74152558.cms|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-10|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

The fire swept the main [[circus tent]], which crashed down in flames onto a crowd of about 4,000 people, setting off a [[stampede]] towards the exits.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/09/world/death-toll-raised-to-66-in-fire-at-circus-in-india.html| title=Death Toll Raised to 66 In Fire at Circus in India| date=February 9, 1981| work=The New York Times }}</ref> The cause of the fire was speculated to be a discarded cigarette<ref name="Lakeland" /> or an electric [[short circuit]].<ref name="Record">{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DwVIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAANAAAAIBAJ&pg=1534,1048534&hl=en| title=66 perish as Big Top goes afire| date=Feb 9, 1981| publisher=Record-Journal }}</ref> The blaze erupted at the back gate as a three-hour matinee <ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/08/world/around-the-world-58-in-india-are-killed-by-fire-in-a-circus-tent.html| title=58 in India Are Killed, By Fire in a Circus Tent| date=February 8, 1981| work=The New York Times}}</ref>
had ended and the spectators were moving towards the exits. Apart from the spectators inside, another huge crowd was waiting outside the tent for the next show.<ref name="Record" />
The flames quickly spread through the canvas top and wooden bleachers,<ref name="Lakeland" /> whipped by strong winds. It took only 15 minutes for the fire to consume the tent, long before the first fire engines arrived.<ref name="Record" /> Parents, passers-by and [[autorickshaw]] drivers also attempted to pull children and others out of the tent, with some becoming victims themselves after being overwhelmed by the fire.<ref name=":1" />

The 4000-seater spectator gallery was also destroyed during the fire. Help could not be sought immediately as the telephone lines were dead. Many of the female performers ran into the fire to save the children.
Animals were not hurt as they were not inside the ring at the time, and employees pulled caged tigers and lions away from the blaze. Elephants and horses broke their tethers and escaped to safety.<ref name="Record" />

== Victims ==
The fire disaster claimed 92 lives and 300 others were injured.<ref name="pmid">{{cite journal|pmid= 6640383| doi= 10.1016/0305-4179(83)90123-7|title= 1981 Circus fire disaster in Bangalore, India: Causes, management of burn patients and possible presentation|year= 1983|last1= Das|first1= R.A.P.|journal= Burns|volume= 10|pages= 17–29|issue= 1}}</ref> 56 of those killed, and many of those hurt, were school children.<ref name="Lakeland">{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19810210&id=qtMvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KfsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1634,3487953| title=Indian circus fire claims 70th victim| date=Feb 10, 1981| publisher=Lakeland Ledger}}</ref> More children were killed in the stampede than by the fire. 21 adults who died were mothers and teachers who had brought the children to the special Saturday matinee for kids. Several of the burn victims were charred beyond recognition. A total of 119 patients were treated in the Burns centre at [[Victoria Hospital (Bangalore Medical College)|Victoria Hospital]]. Fourteen patients with more than 80 percent burns died within 48 hours of the disaster. 32 patients were operated by skin grafting or flap procedures.<ref name="pmid" />

== Investigation ==
An inquiry commission was formed, with the then high court Judge Justice NR Kudoor in the head position. It later found that high-tension electric cables that had been strung overhead of the circus tent were the cause of the fire.<ref name=":0" />

==See also==

*[[Hartford circus fire]]
*[[Niterói circus fire]]

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangalore Circus Fire, 1981}}
[[Category:Fires in India]]
[[Category:1980s in Bangalore|1981]]
[[Category:Disasters in Karnataka|1981]]
[[Category:1981 in India]]
[[Category:1981 fires]]
[[Category:History of Karnataka (1947–present)]]
[[Category:Circus disasters]]
[[Category:February 1981 events in Asia]]

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Bangalore circus fire - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 18:59, 13 August 2023