The basement is hot, the air is stuffy and the college students partying are packed in between the moist walls.

If something were to happen in the basement — a fire or large fight — people at the house party usually would have only one exit.

That’s one reason why if it takes 10 to 15 minutes to get across the house party’s basement or a crowded tavern, then people shouldn’t be there, Eau Claire Fire Inspector Jan Harter said.

Her comments come in the wake of the recent Chicago and Rhode Island nightclub disasters in which 118 people were trampled or burned to death.

A club in West Warwick, R.I., quickly burst into flames Feb. 20, killing 97 people after the band Great White’s pyrotechnics ignited the venue’s rear wall and ceiling.

The Chicago nightclub tragedy killed 21 people Feb. 17 after a stampede ensued from a shot of pepper spray by a security guard.

About 120 people in Minneapolis escaped unharmed Feb. 17 after a band’s pyrotechnics apparently set the Fine Line Music Caf‚’s ceiling on fire.

For those students who host house parties, Harter said they should remember they would be held accountable — not their landlord — for various potential criminal charges.

In the basement of a private or rental home, there are obviously no capacity limits, she said, and the presence of alcohol and cigarettes could lead to the need for an emergency exit.

“You have to think about your personal choices and decisions,” Harter said.

Local fire officials stressed the biggest thing people should do to protect themselves is to look for a building’s exits when entering it.

“Don’t always assume that the only way in is the only way out,” Harter said.

Most people leave a venue through the same door they entered, she said.

Junior Pat Fait often goes to Minneapolis nightclubs, including The Quest and First Avenue. He said that the recent nightclub tragedies would in no way hinder his search for a good time.

“I’ll definitely be aware of where all the exits are,” Fait said.

Freshman Amanda Eastwood had a month-long pass this summer to the Minneapolis dance club, Tropix. She’s traveling back to the Cities this weekend with a good possibility of attending the nightclub’s Mardi Gras celebration, but she said she’s not too concerned.

“You’d like to think that they’d never happen to you,” Eastwood said.

Even before the recent incidents, she found where the exits were because she and her friends happened to use them. The recent tragedies, however, will make her look more consciously, she said.

As for pyrotechnic use in Eau Claire, Harter said the fire department keeps strict enforcement of its use in town.

Christian hard rock band Pillar used pyrotechnics at a Feb. 8 show at Eau Claire’s Memorial High School, she said, which surprised fire officials.. Eau Claire fire department then called fire officials at the band’s next tour stop and warned them.

“That’s how we’re going to have to do it,” Harter said, “until somebody gets a clue.”