Kiss nightclub 5 years later

By Danton Júnior

The building of Rua dos Andradas, in the Center of Santa Maria, continues to attract homage and
looks. The early morning marks of January 27, 2013 are still present on the deteriorated façade and
inside the site, where parts of the masonry structure threaten to give way. But five years after the
fire that killed 242 people and wounded another 636, it is common to hear among residents that the
case "will not work." The reason for the feeling of impunity is the fact that no one is trapped by it.

More than 200 witnesses were heard in the main lawsuit, which has as defendants the two partners
of the nightclub - Elissandro Spohr and Mauro Hoffman - the lead singer of the band Gurizada
Fandangueira - Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos - and the stage assistant Luciano Augusto Bonilha
Leão. In December, the Court ruled that they will not go to the jury, contrary to the decision of the
1st Criminal Court of Santa Maria - the prosecution appeals the decision. In addition, some parents
were sued by members of the MP.

For those who suffered with the fire of the Boate Kiss, the yearnings go beyond the judicial sphere.
Five years was the duration foreseen in the agreement signed, in 2013, with Ministry of Health, to
attend the survivors of the tragedy. Today, many still need to maintain treatment. Five years is also
the time of the UFSM agronomy course, in which 26 fatalities were registered. The People's Mail
returned to Santa Maria and found five characters who had their trajectories marked by the fire.

The slow recovery

Scars that still cover the arms and backs caused by melting foam are no longer a problem for
Delvani Brondani Rosso, 25. "Actually, I never hit the ball. I even like them, "he confesses. After
50% of his body was burned, which earned him two months of hospital admission and a slow
recovery in which each small movement represented a victory, the marks that remain in the body
appear to be a minor disorder treated with a moisturizer and sunscreen .

The slow recovery included, for two years, daily trips to the university hospital, in the Camobi
neighborhood, for physiotherapy exercises. To resume hand movements, which were severely
affected by burns, Delvani trained by selecting beans, with his forefinger and thumb in tweezers.
Although the movements have already been recovered, it is still necessary to maintain physical
exercises and avoid exposure to the sun. The routine in the hospital and in occupational therapy
aroused in the youngster the desire to save lives. Accustomed to helping his father in the soybean
and rice fields in Manoel Viana, Delvani wanted to study agronomy, but after that he opted for
medicine. After attending the pre-college entrance exam last year, the youngster is studying at home
to find a place on the course. "For me to have survived, there is some reason," says the young man
who had four cardiac arrest.

Delvani's youth was like that of so many other young people living in the interior of Rio Grande do
Sul. Among the favorite activities were playing ball and bathing in the river. As a teenager, he asked
his older brother, Jovani, today 31, to take him along at parties. At first reticent, the first-born
allowed the company of the younger, despite the difference in age between the two. Jovani, on the
other hand, took advantage of the presence of the youngest one to "trollar" the brother. "Once he
shaved my head, I was 16," Delvani remembers, laughing. Along with friends, the two also created
a kind of "fighting club", which consisted of gathering friends after parties to practice mixed martial
arts (MMA), a result of the technique learned by the youngest with military colleagues.

"The person who does not remember the error he committed tends to commit again"
If in the first few months after the tragedy, Delvani was constantly approached when he went out on
the street because of the burns, today - after five years - the young man feels that the tragedy of
Night Kiss no longer causes the same commotion. "It looks like it was in history. When they touch
on the subject, there is not much emphasis, "he says. For Delvani, the memories are still very clear.
He clearly remembers the moment when he tried to leave the nightclub, his arms entwined with his
friends and his brother Jovani. The group was in the VIP area, opposite the stage. In an attempt to
reach the only exit door of the nightclub, it was necessary to have the strength not to be pushed
towards the toilets, on the left side, where many of the youngsters had no chance in the face of
intoxication.

Without strength, Delvani felt his face burn. Just before fainting, near the canopy, a movie went
through his head. He thought of his parents, who were in Manoel Viana. And he accepted that he
was going to die. The next reminder is when he woke up lying on the sidewalk in shock. Three
friends were not so lucky and died on the spot. Later, Delvani learned that he had been saved by his
brother, Jovani, who managed to escape the fire and returned to the nightclub to assist in the rescue.

As soon as the doctors released, the young man returned to attend nightclubs, but with more
precaution. Upon arriving at the site, it does a "mapping" to trace possible emergency exits. What
he regrets is that the fire, five years later, is no longer as commented today as it was then. "The
person who does not remember the mistake he made tends to commit it again."

Concern about the "after"

When she hears news of a major disaster, even though in another country, nurse Soeli Teresinha
Guerra senses that the phone will ring. That was what happened after the criminal arson of a day
care center in Janaúba (MG) in October 2017, which killed 14 people and left 40 injured. Or with
the fires that devastated Portugal, also last year. Or with the terrorist attacks in France and the
rupture of the Mariana dam (MG).

What the authorities in different parts of the world are looking for is the expertise developed in
serving the victims of the Kiss fire, especially after the emergency phase, regarding the follow-up of
the survivors. At the time, Soeli was a nursing director. With the son of the director general of the
University Hospital of Santa Maria (HUSM), Elaine Resener, among the survivors, Soeli took the
front line of care to the victims, minutes after the tragedy.

Still at dawn on January 27, 2013, he moved from his home in Itaara, 30 minutes from the Camobi
neighborhood, where the hospital is located. When he arrived, before 2 am, the wounded were
already being referred to the emergency room. In the first six hours, more than a hundred victims
were attended, out of the large numbers of people who came for information. Although the hospital
had trained for mass events, the fire had brought unpredictability.

The warning about the toxicity of smoke came hours after the tragedy. After receiving the first
visits, some victims presented with loss of consciousness and needed a new intervention. Those
who were released in the early hours began to return late in the afternoon. It was then realized that
the aspiration of the smoke was more serious than in other fires. The "dust bite" had accumulated in
the lung alveoli.

"In any event of trauma, however much the person does not need that care due to injury, will
certainly need psychological support"

"We began to realize that we could not use those routine protocols," Soeli describes. The
publication of the Protocols of Assistance to the Victims of the Boate Kiss, launched in November
of 2015, arose from this necessity. The goal is to make the experience shared with other health
teams. The nurse points out that, in the great majority of tragedies, there is a concern with
immediate care, which involves the emergency and hospital phases. The landmark of the case of
Santa Maria, according to her, is the "longitudinal" treatment, for a longer period. "In any event of
trauma, however much the person does not need that care due to injury, will certainly need
psychological monitoring, something that puts him in a reasonable condition to continue touching
life."

After the emergency phase, HUSM was classified as the reference hospital for these survivors, with
pneumology, physiotherapy, skin lesions, repair and psychosocial surgeries. Soeli was responsible
for coordinating the Integrated Center for Assistance to Victims of Accident between 2013 and
2015. In 2017, 2,262 appointments were made, most of which were (931) physiotherapy. The
project was made possible by an agreement between the Ministry of Health, state government and
municipality, which lasted five years. However, according to Soeli, it is already known that it will
take more time, given the situation of some victims.

The HUSM organization ran the world. The Portuguese Association of Physiotherapy contacted the
hospital after the great fires of last year. The hospital also received, for three months, a French
hospital manager, concerned with improving care for victims of attacks. Finally, Soeli and the
HUSM team were in Janaúba, working with local teams to assist fire victims in day care. "These are
situations that need treatment that minimizes suffering and puts us in the face of a challenge of
doing better, letting the marks not become so obvious and end up compromising people's lives for
ever."

Legacy of a Hero
Entering the home of the Rosado family, near the center of Santa Maria, is like encountering an
absence. The hand-painted portrait, in which Vinícius Montardo Rosado appears to be a soldier, and
a space with photos and personal objects, such as the rugby ball and the pair of cleats, refer to a
hero. Not the only one, as his father points out, Ogier de Vargas Rosado - himself, by the way,
brings the face of his son tattooed on his arm. Still, the story of Vinícius has run the world, told by
several broadcasters and newspapers in the country and abroad. The estimate - not confirmed by
relatives - is that the 26-year-old had rescued 14 people before losing his life. The initiative of the
son, who was outside and returned to the nightclub to rescue the wounded, inspires the family to
carry forward their legacy.

Known for his good humor, Vinicius had the gift of making friends. After his death, several of them
came in contact with the family, who already sees the space for messages and memories of the
youngster being small before so many honors. Student of physical education, Vinícius did volunteer
work with minor offenders and senior citizens, as well as giving classes to insert young people into
the job market. On the night of the fire, she had gone to the club with her sister Jessica and a group
of friends. She was near the stage when the fire started and managed to leave the compound in time
to be rescued. Vinicius also came out of the nightclub, but returned to rescue other wounded.
Witness reports say that every time Vinícius left the place - the young man was 1.90 m tall - he was
carrying a person under each arm.

In these five years, the saudade manifested itself of diverse forms for Ogier. On certain days he
claims to be well with life. In others, "feels like kicking everyone". "It's like a nail in the boot: it
makes a sink, but if you step on it, it hurts." But the longing was transformed into solidarity and the
tragedy in learning. Vinícius's father created, on September 9, 2013 - the date of the young man's
birthday - the Ah Muleke Association, inspired by one of his son's characteristic phrases.

Also part of the family are the piper Danilo Jaques (the only member of the band Gurizada
Fandangueira to die in the fire) and the military Rogério Floriano Cardoso. The mourning brought
together relatives of the three victims, who began to develop social and fire prevention actions.
Among the activities carried out are the collection of clothes, food and school supplies for families
in need. "We were inspired by the action of Vinícius that night. He was out there and decided to
come back to help. If he chose to help, we could not deny ourselves ", justifies the father.

The yearning of all parents is for justice, but not everyone agrees on how it should be achieved. For
Ogier, the case should not go to jury because of its complexity - different from what the Association
of Relatives of Victims and Survivors of the Tragedy of Santa Maria (AVTSM) thinks. Since the
process has many proofs, they should be analyzed technically, in the evaluation of it. "In the popular
jury, people's emotions will give the maximum penalty, but understand that, suddenly, without legal
grounds, this will fall by land soon after," he justifies.

Eastern resilience
For the students of agronomy of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), the period of five
years represents the end of a cycle. This is the duration of the course, which each year receives 120
new students, coming from the most diverse regions of Rio Grande do Sul and the country. For
Professor Toshio Nishijima, who lost more than 20 students in the fire, the end of this cycle also
carries a special meaning. Among the 242 fatal victims of the tragedy at Boate Kiss, 26 were
studying agronomy at the university's Center for Rural Sciences (CCR).

Taken in the coordination of the course in March 2012, Toshio Nishijima, who remains in office
until today, is the one who has since welcomed freshmen into the CCR's courtyard, asking the
name, hometown and presenting the faculty facilities to newcomers . The party Agromerados,
which took place in the Kiss nightclub, in the early hours of January 26 to 27, 2013, gathered
mainly students of the first, second and third semesters. Of the total number of fatalities, 64 studied
in the RCC, with 26 studying agronomy.

As soon as he learned of the fire, Nishijima ran to the university campus and printed the list with the
names of the students enrolled in order to facilitate the identification of the dead and wounded. The
families of many students were in distant cities, which meant that the teachers themselves had to
identify the bodies at first.

"I felt imbued with a force that made me move forward. I had this idea of welcoming, giving
encouragement, support and, in this way, I think that my Eastern training contributed a lot "

The emptiness left in classrooms made the first semester of 2013 the most difficult school year after
the tragedy. The parking lot of the Center of Rural Sciences, where the students met in the intervals,
was silent. The pain was also present during the graduations, since the parents of the students who
did not finish the course were invited. The next group to be formed on January 27 will be the one
who joined the first half of 2013, immediately after the tragedy. According to Nishijima, although
the "vibe" of the environment is still present, the entrance of new students makes the climate
gradually closer to normal. "As some enter and others leave, we will have a change in the ideas of
the memories of an event so strong, so marked," he says. In the last few semesters, according to
him, the relaxation was again observed in the corridors of the building.

Born in São Paulo and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Nishijima arrived in Santa Maria in 1984. His father
arrived in Brazil in the second half of the 1950s, after unsuccessfully attempting to join the Imperial
Japanese Army at the end of the Second World War. Its field of action revolves around agricultural
engineering and water resources. In the classroom, he tries to achieve a dynamic balance: he does
not deliver "everything chewed" and does not paint the bad results. "I always seek to be an
educator," he says. Some students have even been examined, but all passed, says the teacher, who is
often seen playing tambourine with students in the courtyard of the CCR.
Although the students are no longer the same, the teachers, with the exception of those who retired,
were mostly already there in 2013, which led them to witness this moment of transformation on
campus. Somehow, Nishijima believes that being a descendant of Japanese - a people recognized by
resilience - has contributed to the fact that the routine could gradually return to normal in the CCR.
"I felt imbued with a force that made me move forward. I had this idea of welcoming, giving
encouragement, support and, in this way, I think that my Eastern training contributed a lot ", says
the professor.

The five-year wait

More than a symbolic date, the fifth anniversary of the fire at the Boate Kiss should mark a fresh
start for Aline Henriques Maia, 33, one of more than 600 survivors. In treatment for a lung problem
since 2013, acquired as a result of the amount of smoke inhaled that night, she received from
doctors at the time the information that she would be recovered in five years. Since then, he had
hoped to reduce the use of medicines and to have a more "normal" life from 2018. But that was not
what happened.

"A lot is already taking place, but the doctor said it will not be in the five years that I'll be fine yet.
I'll have to wait, I do not know how long until it's better. Healing will not have "

Aline still lives with some marks and scratches - she believes she did not have serious burns
because someone fell on her at the time of the fire. But the main sequel is in the lungs. Due to the
smoke caused by the foam of Boate Kiss, he contracted bronchiolitis obliterans through inhalation.
Aline even got only 30% of lung function. He also suffered burns on his vocal cords. Since then, he
has had pneumonia, rhinitis, and sinusitis several times. In psychiatric and pneumological treatment,
he takes ten medications on a constant basis, but the number increases in the seizures. The survivor
even went to court, unsuccessfully, to guarantee the medication, which costs around R $ 1,600 per
month. But since 2015, the remedies are provided free of charge to her and other victims by a
network of pharmacies.

Aline and her husband had gone to the nightclub that night with a group of friends after they had
traveled the city to eat a cheeseburger. The couple arrived at Kiss around midnight, when, according
to her, there were still not many people in the place. By the time the fire started, Aline was in front
of the stage. After trying to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, he saw a "black ball" and began
trying to leave the nightclub. She remembers that she fell near the door and passed out. It was just
waking up outside, in the supermarket parking lot opposite. The survivor does not know the name
of the person who took her away, but refers to her as "an angel."

Aline was hospitalized for nine days, in a coma, at the Hospital São Francisco de Assis, in Santa
Maria. For her six-year-old daughter Camille, the girl's father said her mother was hospitalized
because she "was not eating salad" - a way to persuade the girl to take a liking to vegetables. When
he was discharged, the so-called "five-year wait" began, a sort of countdown so that life was at least
part of normal again.

It was believed that survivors of the tragedy would manifest more severe symptoms associated with
sequelae in the next five years and that, from then on, the problems would be gradually reduced. So
much so that this is the duration of the agreement signed, at the time of the fire, between the federal,
state and city governments to follow up the patients. In Aline's case, this has not happened yet. "We
were very hopeful that in five years things could go back to the way they were before," he says. "A
lot is already taking place, but the doctor said it will not be in the five years that I'll be fine yet. I'll
have to wait, I do not know how long until it's better. Cure will not. "
For now, plans to win the second child are delayed. The fear is due to the amount of medicines you
still use. Formed in advertising and publicity, she worked in a driver training center - where she still
works as a teaching director. Aline avoids looking at the nightclub, since it does not pass by the
address, in Rua dos Andradas, it is almost impossible when going to the center of the city by car.
Also it does not support agglomerations and it can not even hear the music that touched the moment
the fire began. Through the streets of Santa Maria, Aline realizes that, five years later, mourning in
many cases has given way to oblivion - something she refuses to accept. "Whoever went through
that reminds us every day."