Colonel Guido Pedroso de Melo of the Rio Grande do Sul Fire Department stated that the club 's front door was locked . De Melo told CNN : " This overcrowding made it difficult for people to leave , and according to the information we have , the security guards trapped the victims inside . " The fire has the second-highest death toll for an entertainment event in Brazil ; it is second only to the 1961 Niterói circus fire , which killed more than 500 people
Niterói circus fire
Niterói circus fire
Kiss nightclub fire