A stunt at an Iowa City bar last week should be raising a lot of questions. Etc., a downtown bar in Iowa City, faces several lawsuits and charges after bartenders set fire to the bar in a “Coyote Ugly”-style stunt.

Unfortunately, nine people were injured after the fire went out of control. Deana Busche, a 20-year-old student at the University of Iowa, was the most severely injured, suffering third-degree burns on her arms and second-degree burns on her face.

The first question, and the most obvious question, is: Why were bartenders lighting the bar on fire? Purposely spilling 190-proof grain alcohol onto the bar and lighting it on fire shows a reckless disregard for safety. There are even conflicting reports that MORE alcohol was added to the fire before it spun out of control. If there aren’t laws or ordinances against that, there should be. The bar’s management either did know about these stunts, or should have known about them.

And for those who think this doesn’t happen in Ames, think again. Some bars in Ames do perform stunts with fire.

Another question worth asking is: When is Iowa City going to learn? Iowa City is a haven for underage drinking. In fact, the city council and city leaders overtly promote underage drinking. It’s called bars that accept patrons who are under 21.

The most severely injured patron in the fire was a 20-year-old student. What is a 20-year-old student doing that close to the bar? That’s easy. Most likely drinking. Do 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds go to Iowa City to do anything besides getting smashed in one of the many bars that allow them in? Anyone who doesn’t think so is out of their element. We’ve all seen 18-year-olds with beers in the bars. How hard is it? Get a friend who is over 21 to get you a drink, and then drink it. Simple as that. And the city officials in Iowa City need to realize that the only reason 20-year-olds make the trip to their fine town is to get loaded at bars like Etc.

Iowa City already banned the advertisement of drink specials because of the abundance of excessive drinking; when will they finally stop promoting underage drinking and prohibit underage students in the bars?

And yet another question is: Who is at fault here? Obviously, the bar is, for one. After all, fire plus grain alcohol does equal more fire. They teach you that in chemistry.

But there is a joint stupidity here. Let’s be serious, if you are drinking at a bar, and the bartender stands up and starts lighting things on fire, get out of the way. The bartender didn’t just spit fire directly in the faces of these patrons; they were in a position to be in harm’s way. And the lawsuits popped up quick.

A lot of people are at fault here. The most obvious is, of course, the bartenders. But look also at the bar’s owners, who allowed this behavior in the first place. And to the patrons themselves, who somehow didn’t realize the danger of the situation. And last, but not least, the Iowa City leaders who continue to promote underage drinking, and who should finally learn that alcohol and minors do not mix.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Charlie Weaver, Omar Tesdell