Deadly nightclub fires: a look back at tragedies similar to the Kiss club fire in Brazil

(CNN) -- On Saturday, a massive fire at the Kiss nightclub in southern Brazil killed more than 200 people. Nightclub infernos have claimed hundreds of lives over the years -- here are some of the worst in recent memory:

August 2012

A fire that swept through a popular nightclub on the Thai island of Phuket killed four people early August 17.

December 2009

Fireworks triggered a fire and panic on December 5, 2009, at a nightclub in Perm, Russia, killing 156 people. The commercial director of the facility, who was accused of ignoring safety measures, fled Russia to Spain, where he was arrested in September of the following year.

January 2009

Fireworks shot off at a birthday party at a Latin-style bar and restaurant in Changle City in China's Fujian province sparked a fire that claimed 15 lives on January 31, 2009.

January 2009

A fire at Bangkok's upscale Santika nightclub broke out while about 1,000 revelers were ringing in the new year. Sixty-four people died in the fire, which led to the arrest of the nightclub's owner.

April 2008

Fourteen concertgoers died in a fire sparked by fireworks that were part of a show at a nightclub in Quito, Ecuador, on April 19, 2008.

December 2004

A December 30, 2004, deadly nightclub fire killed 194 people in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Nearly five years later, the country's Court of Justice sentenced the club owner to 20 years in prison.

February 2003

In perhaps the most widely-known nightclub tragedy over the past decade, 100 people died in a fire sparked by pyrotechnics used by the heavy metal band Great White at a nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, on February 21, 2003.

December 2002

The cause of the December 1, 2002 fire that killed 47 people in Caracas, Venezuela, never became clear -- firefighters said it could have started in the kitchen, or an electrical short circuit. Many of the victims died of smoke inhalation inside the club.

July 2002

A celebration marking the two-month anniversary of the Utopia club in Lima, Peru, ended in the deaths of 28 people on July 20, 2002. Authorities said the Utopia club had no license to operate, no sprinklers and poorly marked exits.