Free Technical Information for Building Inspectors, Contractors and Consumers. Code and Manufacturer's Information Resource
Tragic Fires
THE STATION NIGHT CLUB:
The Station nightclub fire on the evening of Thursday, February 20, 2003 , was the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200. Ninety-six perished on the night of the fire, and four died later from their injuries at local hospitals. The Station, which regularly hosted metal and '80s rock bands, was a bightclub in West Warwick, RI.
The fire:
The fire started about 11:08 PM, just seconds into headlining band Great White's opening song "Desert Moon," when pyrotechniques set off by their tour manager, Daniel Biechele, lit flammable soundproofing foam behind the stage. The pyrotechnics were gerbs, cylindrical devices intended to produce a controlled spray of sparks. Biechele used three 15 by 15's, which spray sparks 15 feet for 15 seconds. Two gerbs were at 45-degree angles, with the middle one pointing straight up. Gerbs are considered appropriate for indoor use before a nearby audience when proper precautions are observed. The flames were first thought to be part of the act; only as the fire reached the ceiling and smoke began to billow did people realize it was uncontrolled. In less than a minute, the entire stage was engulfed in flames, with most of the band members and entourage scurrying for the west exit by the stage.
By this time, the piercing shrill of the fire alarm made everyone acutely aware of the impending danger, and although there were four possible exits, most people naturally headed for the front door through which they had entered. The ensuing stampede in the inferno led to a crush in the narrow hallway leading to that exit, quickly blocking it completely and resulting in numerous deaths and injuries among the patrons and staff, who numbered somewhat more than 404 (the highest of three conflicting official capacity limits). Of those in attendance, roughly one-quarter died, and half were injured.
The Aftermath: Thousands of mourners attended a memorial service at St. Gregory the Great Church in Warwick on February 24, 2003 to remember those lost in the fire.Five months after the fire, Great White started a benefit tour, saying a prayer at the beginning of each concert for the friends and families touched by that fateful night and giving a portion of the proceeds to the Station Family Fund. The band said they would never play the song "Desert Moon" live again.
Investigation
In the days after the fire, there were considerable efforts to assign and avoid blame on the part of the band, the nightclub owners, the manufacturers and distributors of the foam material and pyrotechnics, and the concert promoters. Through attorneys, club owners said they did not give permission to the band to use pyrotechnics. Band members claimed they had permission.
Investigators focused on the foam material that had been installed behind the stage. The foam was intended for use in packaging and product display rather than for sound-treating buildings and was not treated with the fir -retardent materials used in acoutic foam. Witnesses to the fire reported that once ignited, flames spread across the foam at approximately one foot per second.
An NIST Investigation , using computer simulations and a mock-up of the stage area and dance floor, concluded that a sprinkler system would have contained the fire enough to give everyone time to get out safely. However, because of the building's age (built in the late 1930's ) and size (4,484 square feet (404 m²)), many believed the Station to be exempt from sprinkler system requirements. In fact, the building had undergone an occupancy change when it was converted from a restaurant to a nightclub. This change dissolved its exemption from the law, a fact that West Warwick fire inspectors never noticed. On the night in question, the Station was legally required to have a sprinkler system but did not.
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OTHER TRAGIC FIRES:
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SOUTHGATE:
Southgate is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky - United States. The population was 3,472 at the 2000 census. The City is named for the family of Richard Southgate. Born in New York City, Richard Southgate came to Newport from Richmond, Virginia in 1795. In October 1797, he was licensed to practice law in the court of Kentucky; appointed Commonwealth Attorney for Campbell County in 1798. He was State Representative in 1803 and Senator from 1817-1821. Richard died in July of 1857 at the age of 83. Richard's home still stands on Third Street in Newport, Kentucky. His son William Wright Southgate was a US Congressman from Northern Kentucky.
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THE BEVERLY HILLS SUPPER CLUB
Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in northern Kentucky is the third deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. It occurred on the night of May 28, 1977, during the Memorial Day weekend. 165 persons died and over 200 were injured.
It is believed as many as 3,000 patrons and 182 employees were inside the club at 9:00 p.m. on the evening of the fire, just as the "early show" was beginning in the Cabaret Room. This was the larger of two showrooms with a stage, and it was filled with 1,300 patrons. Because of overcrowding, additional guests had been squeezed into this room on temporary seats erected on ramps to the stage.
Throughout the club patrons were enjoying their meals and drinks in several restaurants, bars, private party rooms, and the two large performance rooms. An awards banquet for 425 people was taking place in the "Empire Room." Upstairs, functions were taking place in the six Crystal Rooms.
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The Coconut Grove:
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The Cocoanut Grove was a nightclub in Boston, Mass. On NOvember 28, 1942 the fashionable nightclub burned in what remains the deadliest nightclub fire in US history, killing 492 people and injuring hundreds more. Prior to 9-11 it was also the second-worst single-building fire in American history. The Iroquois Theater in Chicago in 1903 killed more (602). The tragedy shocked the nation and briefly replaced World War II in news headlines. The fire led to a reform of fire codes and safety standards across the country and prompted a seminal study of grief. The club's owner, Barney Welansky, who had boasted of his ties to the Mafia and to Boston mayor Maurice J. Tobin, was eventually found guilty of manslaughter.
The fire
The club, a former speakeasy, ocated at 17 Piedmont Street in what is now Boston's Bay Village neighborhood, was filled with approximately 1,000 occupants that evening, more than twice its official capacity of 460. The club had recently been expanded with the addition of a lounge, which opened onto an adjacent street. Decorated in a Casabanca tropical style, the restaurant, bars, and lounges inside were decorated with romantic but flammable paper palm trees, cloth draperies covering the ceiling, flammable furniture, and other flimsy decorations, some of which obscured exit signs.
Official reports state the fire started at about 10:15 p.m. in the dark, intimate Melody Lounge downstairs. A young pianist and singer, Goody Goodelle, was performing on a revolving stage, surrounded by artificial palm trees. It was believed that a young man, possibly a soldier, had removed a lightbulb in order to give him privacy while kissing his date. Stanley Tomaszewski, a 16-year-old busboy, was instructed to put the light back on by retightening the bulb. As he attempted to tighten the lightbulb back into its socket, the bulb fell out in his hand. In the dimly-lit lounge, Tomaszewski, unable to see the socket, lit a match for a moment to illuminate the area, found the socket, blew out the match, and replaced the bulb. Almost immediately, patrons saw something ignite in the canopy of artificial palm fronds draped above the tables.
Despite waiters' efforts to douse the fire by throwing water on it, it quickly spread along the fronds of the palm tree, igniting nearby decorations on the walls and ceiling. Flames raced up the stairway to the main level, feeding on oxygen and burning the hair of patrons who were stumbling up the stairs. A fireball burst across the central dance floor just as the orchestra was beginning its evening show. Flames raced through the adjacent Caricature Bar, then down a corridor to the New Lounge. Within five minutes, flames had spread to the main clubroom and the entire nightclub was ablaze.
As is common in panic situations, many patrons attempted to exit through the main entrance, the same way they had come in. However, the building's main entrance was a single revolving door, immediately rendered useless as the panicked crowd scrambled for safety. Bodies piled up behind both sides of the revolving door, jamming it to the extent that firefighters had to dismantle it in order to get inside. Other avenues of escape were similarly useless: side doors had been welded shut to prevent people from leaving without settling their bills. A plate glass window, which could have been smashed for escape, was instead boarded up and unusable as an emergency exit. Other unlocked doors opened inwards, rendering them useless against the crush of people trying to escape. Bartender Daniel Weiss and entertainer Goody Goodelle survived the Melody Lounge. By dowsing a cloth napkin with a pitcher of water, Weiss was able to escape by crawling through the kitchen and other subfloor areas. Goodelle and several other employees were able to escape by crawling through a barred window in the kitchen. Five survived by taking refuge in a walk-in refrigerator. Fire officials later testified that, had the doors swung outwards, at least 300 lives could have been spared. Many young soldiers perished in the disaster, as well as a married couple whose wedding had taken place earlier that day.
The aftermath
Boston newspapers were filled with lists of the dead and stories of narrow escapes and deaths. It was erroneously reported that Hollywood movie star Buck Jones had made it safely outside, but died two days later in the hospital. In fact, Jones had fallen where he sat in the prime Terrace area near the bandstand, which was behind a wrought iron railing that acted as a trap. Stories claimed that Buck had gone back in to rescue people. In truth, he had been incapacitated at his seat and would linger in the hospital for some hours before dying.
, the Boston Licensing Board ordered that no Boston establishment may again call itself the Cocoanut Grove. This was refuted by author John Esposito in his recent book concerning the fire; in fact, no such order or citation exists, although Esposito speculates that few businessmen would wish to use such an ill-omened name.
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Rythem Night Club:
The Rhythm Night Club fire took place in Natchez, Mississippi, on April 23, 1940 and killed 209 Afdrican-American party goers, while severely injuring many others. The nightclub, which was once a church and converted blacksmith shop, was located in a one-story frame building on 1 St. Catherine Street, just blocks from the city's business district . It remains the second deadliest fire at a night club in the United States.
The 11:30 p.m. inferno began as members of the local Moneywasters Social Club were enjoying the song "Clarinet Lullaby" performed by Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians orchestra from Chicago. Starting in front of the main entrance door of the building, the fire quickly engulfed the structure in flames due to the decorative Spanish Moss that was draped over the rafters. Due to the dry conditions, flammable methane gas was generated from the moss, resulting in the torching of the structure within an hour.
With windows boarded up to prevent outsiders from viewing or listening to the music, more than 300 people struggled to leave after the blaze began. A handful of people left by the door or through the ticket booth, while the remainder of individuals attempted to leave through the back door.
What was first thought of as an accidental fire set by the careless discarding of a match by two women changed quickly the day after the blaze when five African-Americans were arrested after reports they had drunkenly threatened to burn the building down. Charges were later dropped.
A Final Note:
Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Smoke Alarms save lives. We as building inspectors, contractors and consumers have known this for years. But we must remain diligent in or training and education efforts.
