Russian authorities will shut 2700 nightclubs that fail to meet proper safety requirements before the coming New Year’s celebrations.

Russian news agency Interfax says that following a fire earlier this month in a nightclub in the city of Perm, authorities checked 15,000 places of entertainment throughout the country. 2700 of them were found to be unsafe. They will be closed for five days, after which a judge will decide whether they should remain permanently closed.

The fire in Perm occurred in The Lame Horse nightclub on 5 December. Sparks from fireworks ignited a ceiling, spread quickly to the walls and damaged the building’s electrical wiring, which in turn caused the lights to fail. In the resulting panic among the guests, many of whom choked to death in thick smoke or were trampled underfoot as people tried desperately to escape.

Photo of Entrance to Lame Horse nightclub from Wikimedia Commons