Sanjay Kumar Gupta, a security guard stationed at Birch by Romeo Lane, described the terrifying moments leading up to the tragedy.
“The incident occurred between 11 pm and 12 am. Suddenly, there was a fire… I was at the gate… A DJ, dancer was going to come here, and it was about to get really crowded…” Gupta told reporters.
#WATCH | Sanjay Kumar Gupta, a security guard at Birch says, "The incident occurred between 11 pm and 12 am. Suddenly, there was a fire…I was at the gate…A DJ, dancer was going to come here, and it was about to get really crowded…" https://t.co/upgOx2TYuW pic.twitter.com/gSJylB7QNb
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2025
According to him, the nightclub was preparing for a late-night DJ event, and hundreds of guests were expected to enter within minutes. The fire erupting just before the crowd arrived likely prevented an even bigger catastrophe.
Gupta’s account underscores how the blaze struck at the very moment footfall was about to surge, raising further questions about safety measures, emergency readiness and the venue’s preparedness for high-density events.
The devastating fire at Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa’s Arpora village — which claimed 25 lives shortly after midnight — has exposed a trail of alleged violations, unauthorised construction and a simmering land dispute that local authorities say had already placed the nightclub under scrutiny long before the tragedy.
