The fire quickly spread to the walls and damaged the building's electrical wiring, causing the lights to fail.

According to witnesses, one leaf of the club's double doors was sealed shut, and the public was unaware of the backdoor exit behind the stage not shown by emergency lighting.

These were the strongest impressions: people lying in snow for an hour without any aid.Another report of a volunteer involved in evacuation:[11] I rushed to the ambulance which for unclear reasons was standing far off at the crossroads.

During three days following the fire, the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) used specially equipped "mobile hospital" Il-76TD aircraft to transport 65 injured to Moscow and 28 to Saint Petersburg.

[16] Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dispatched two planes equipped to transport burn trauma victims.

[19] Rumors have circulated that the incident was a terrorist plot, but the Russian Prosecutor's Investigative Committee spokesperson, Vladimir Markin, declared that the fire was caused by unsanctioned use of fireworks indoors.

[20] The disaster bears some similarities to the 2003 Station nightclub fire in the US state of Rhode Island, caused by the improper usage of indoor pyrotechnics which ignited the flammable sound-proofing foam in the building, killing 100 people.

[24] EMERCOM Sergei Shoigu issued a ban on fireworks at many upcoming New Year's and Christmas festivities, and President Medvedev ordered a complete review of fire safety regulations.

Typical violations were lack of a fire alarms, bars installed on windows, and construction materials blocking walkways.

[25] Saint Petersburg Fire Safety Authority as a result of surprise checks motioned suspension of activity for 25 venues.

[26] On 9 December 2009, the head of city administration Arkady Kats announced his decision to resign citing the disaster as a reason.

[27] On 11 December, Perm City Council did not accept Arkady Kats's resignation but instead suspended him from duty for a month.

[29] One of the accused, Anatoly Zak, allegedly a coowner of Lame Horse, fled Perm but was later captured by Russian police.

[29] Zak had an Israeli passport when he was captured, fueling speculations that he was trying to get to Yekaterinburg and leave Russia via Koltsovo International Airport.

Anatoly Zak, executive director Svetlana Yefremova, and caretaker art director Oleg Fetkulov were charged with violations of fire safety rules leading to the deaths of two or more people (Article 219, part 3 of the Criminal Code of Russia, carrying a maximum sentence of seven years).

The latter suspect also lost his wife Yevgeniya Fetkulova on 13 December who was present at the club and suffered from multiple burns and smoke inhalation she received during fire.

[32] Sergei Derbenyov, director of the pyrotechnics company Pirotsvet (Russian: ООО Пиротехническая компания 'Пироцвет') that supplied the incendiaries,[31] was charged with negligent manslaughter of two or more people (Article 109, part 3 of the Criminal Code of Russia, carrying a maximum sentence of five years).

[6][33] The fifth suspect, Alexandr Titlyanov, a leaseholder of the premises who also owned 85 percent of the issued shares of the club,[34] was heavily injured in the fire.

[citation needed] On 8 December 2009, during his visit to Perm, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin acknowledged that local and federal officials were partly responsible for the fire.

Later on the same day, EMERCOM dismissed seven officials from Perm Fire Safety Supervision Authority, including its chief and all his deputies.

[36] According to Vladimir Markin, spokesperson for Investigation Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office, the court approved the motion to confiscate all property of Anatoly Zak.

Additionally, 18 pieces of property were believed to belong to him, including apartments, house, and real estate which he leased for profit.

Also indicted were fire inspectors Dmitri Roslyakov and Natalya Prokopyeva (negligence of duty, article 293, part 3).

Another accused, Konstantin Mrykhin, was not in custody at the time, and international arrest warrant was issued for him (he allegedly was another coowner of the club, and was indicted on the same counts as Zak, Yefremova and Fatkulov).

[44] Mrykhin was arrested on 31 August 2010 in Barcelona, Spain[45] and was expected to be extradited to Russia in late September or early October 2010.

[58] Zak, Yefremova, Fetkulov, Mukhutdinov, Roslyakov, Prokopyeva, and Igor and Sergei Derbenyovs were found guilty, as announced by the court on 30 April 2013.