Brazil Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 245

 SÃO PAULO—At least 245 people died in a fire that swept through a crowded nightclub in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria early Sunday, local television reports said.

The Globo television network reported that the fire broke out around 2 a.m. local time, when the Kiss nightclub was crowded with more than 1,000 revelers. Officials said the death toll could rise, prompting President Dilma Rousseff to cut short her attendance at a summit of Latin American and European leaders in Chile and fly home.

The cause of the fire was unclear. Globo quoted firefighters as saying the blaze apparently was caused by sparks from faulty sound-and-light equipment, although one eye witness said the band was using fireworks that could have triggered the fire.

Nightclubs in the region have suffered similar tragedies in recent years, partly because of weak safety supervision by local governments. A fire in a nightclub in Argentina in late 2004 killed 194 people when a pyrotechnic flare was set off and ignited foam in the ceiling. Materials used for decoration were found to be flammable, while some fire exits were chained shut. Safety inspectors came in for heavy criticism as the nightclub, Republica Cromanon, was overdue for a fire-hazard inspection. The incident also forced Buenos Aires Mayor Anibal Ibarra to resign.