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Keir Simmons / NBC News
Pablo Bizzi Mahmud, 20, lost 10 friends in the fire that tore through a nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil, on Jan. 28, 2013. He is leading protests to demand better government safety standards.
SANTA MARIA, Brazil — Pablo Bizzi Mahmud might have died in the fire that tore through Kiss nightclub on Sunday morning, but the 20-year-old chose not to go. It turned out to be a fateful decision: 10 of his friends were among the 234 who died as flames and smoke engulfed the club before dawn.
When asked if any of his friends survived that night he said no. "They were all killed," he said as he walked through the streets of his hometown, Santa Maria.
"I was born here, I know a lot of people here," he added. "Everybody knows someone who was there."
Mahmud's closest friend made it out but then went back in to help. He lost his life trying to rescue others. Another friend was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. He also perished.
Mahmud has never protested before but on Tuesday he led a march of around 1,000 people through Santa Maria to the mayor's office.
"Justice!" the protesters chanted in Portuguese.
"Police, government, give us justice!" Mahmud shouted to the crowd through a megaphone, his determination driven by his duty to the friends he lost.
Many on the march were friends of the the mostly young people who died in the blaze.
Barbara Henriquez, 28, and Natalia Isaia, 30, knew five who died. They said they had many questions and few answers.
Felipe Dana / AP
A fast-moving nightclub inferno claimed the lives of more than 230 people in southern Brazil.
"Brazil doesn't do anything about it," said protester Mariana Barros, 22. "It takes a long time to do anything. We can't wait 10 years — we need it now."
According to local fire chief Moises Fuchs, it's the laws that need to change, and fast. Brazil is hosting both the World Cup soccer tournament next year and the 2016 Olympics.
"We need stronger reforms on our safety regulations," Fuchs said.
Questions for investigators include why there was no sprinkler system, no fire alarm and only one way out.
Police now believe a flare used during a live music performance inside the club was intended for outdoor use only and may have started the blaze. It is also feared that toxins in the smoke included cyanide and dioxin, making it all the more deadly.
These are all issues the young people of Santa Maria want addressed.
As the march slowed, Mahmud handed the megaphone to another protester and listened. Overwhelmed, he buried his face in the shoulder of a friend.
"I have a Facebook message from one of my friends who was there," Mahmud said. "He is saying let's go to Carnival this year."
Related:
Brazil club blaze survivor: 'An angel saved my life'
Brazil nightclub fire survivor: 'I felt her heart stop beating'
'Doomed to repeat history': Painful memories for survivors of '03 Rhode Island nightclub fire
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A senseless and tragic waste of young lives
The only way justice will be served is these young Brazillians don't go to overcrowded clubs with a single fire exit.
I hear ya, there's clubs in Mexico similar to this that I walked in the door and thought to myself "there's no way I'm going in here." People have to use their brains so that terrible tragedies such as this can be avoided, you can't always count on others to ensure your safety and then demand revenge when they fail. Being an ex-clubber/raver I can say that the club culture is so shallow, fruitless, and immature that it is not worth risking even a stubbed toe over, much less death. If a club isn't safe, don't pay them and enter the door, they will quickly learn they need to renovate. Or maybe instead you could spend some time with true friends that you have deep relationships with instead of going clubbing with thousands of strangers. After all the clubs in Brazil take precautions to prevent fire tragedies such as this, the next tragedy will be a floor collapse. I hope lessons can be learned by the Brazilian youth, that the victims may rest in peace, and I wish the families and friends strength in this tough time.
The herd mentality prevails and now the stampede sprawls out onto the street. The rave near Rio, the new Mecca for the Burning Man fans. More herds, more stampedes, more trampled and burned, torch all of Brazil ! Why wait until you mature and your brains have fully developed when you can die a noble death and leave a good looking, if not to squashed and burned, corpse. No matter how retarded you are you can always cast the blame on someone else ! Stampede on and remember your war cry, "Sex, drugs and Rock and Roll, " or do you call it Salsa ?
I'm confused? Shouldn't there be some mention of evil guns and gun violence in the article? I thought this was NBCnews.com. Isn't it mandatory?
Are they demanding justice or revenge?
I think that Justice is beyond their comprehension and revenge may require more courage than they can muster. As they are unable to accept responsibility for their stupidity they are looking to cast the blame elsewhere. It seems that they will stampede for attention, at least until more are trampled.
Here's an easy reform for any and all countries: NO PYROTECHNIC DEVICES OF ANY KIND TO BE USED INDOORS FOR ANY REASON AT A PUBLIC BUILDING! It is just too easy for any kind of pyrotechnic, flare, fire baton, or anything of that sort to ignite flammable material in the building and the fire going out of control in seconds. This was the thing that happened that Rhode Island nightclub a number of years ago. This is not to say there aren't other things that need to be addressed for public venues (No locked exit doors - they have to be able to be opened from the inside; requirement for fire extinguishing systems; a required number of doors per XXX number of people, etc. are also part of the discussion) but the best way to avoid nightclub fires (and fires at other large gatherings of people indoors) is to make sure that fireworks, pyrotechnics, etc. are not allowed indoors when there are large numbers of people that can panic and end up blocking exit doors.
Having been to many clubs in Rio de Janeiro with only one small entrance and all the other doors and windows boarded up or barred.
My friend and I often would say to each other "You know if a fire ever broke out in here we would all be toast."