Nightclubs, a place for fun, dance, drink, and celebration, can quickly turn into deadly fire traps, killing hundreds of guests, entertainers, and staff. Here are ten of the deadliest nightclub fire disasters from 1940-2009. Though almost 60 years separates the oldest from the most recent, common threads run through all of these nightclub fires, overcrowding, locked exits, flammable decorative and construction materials, making them, in most cases, preventable catastrophes. The use of pyrotechnic displays or fireworks inside the buildings, usually as part of live stage acts or bands, has been the cause of many of these fire disasters, and the two most recent that occurred in 2009.
Just before midnight on September 21, 2008 the Wuwang Club located in Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China caught fire. 43 people were killed and another 88 were injured. As we will see over and over again, the fire was started by careless use of indoor pyrotechnics. The pyrotechnics ignited flammable material on the ceiling. The fire caused the lights to fail, plunging the club into darkness. The combination of fire and darkness caused the people inside the building to panic and rush for the exits. There were few well lit exits and windows had been boarded up, making them useless as an escape route. There were 308 people inside the club when the fire started. Most of the deaths were caused by crushing and suffocation in the rush for the exits. As is the case with so many nightclub fires, the building was not properly built and was unlicensed because of government corruption.
The Santika Pub was known as one of the hottest nightclubs in Thailand, a place for young Thais and others from around the world to dance and have fun. The club had a large dance area, stage, and mezzanines that overlooked the dance floor. On New Years, January 1, 2009, more than a thousand people were packed into the club to usher in the New Year with celebrations and to say goodbye to the Santika Pub which was scheduled to close and relocate. The club had live entertainment that night, a popular local band, ironically and tragically called “Burn”. Shortly after midnight, the band was playing on stage when, as part of the bands act, pyrotechnic displays were set off and sparks shot towards the ceiling. Revelers were videotaping the event and surviving video shows at 12:15 AM, sparks falling from the ceiling onto the dance floor. The video then shows members of Burn, and audience members, looking to the ceiling as the sparks continued to fall, and the ceiling fire grew larger.
At 12:20 AM the fire was reported to local police, but the fire department was not notified until 12:40 AM. Firefighters arrived at the club at 12:48 AM. In the 33 minutes between the time the pyrotechnics were set off, and the arrival of the fire department, fire raced through the building. Hundreds tried to get down to the main entrance from the balconies, only to find the entrance already jammed with people trying to flee the fire from the main floor. The electricity went out and burning pieces of ceiling fell onto those still trapped inside the building. Eventually, a portion of the roof collapsed. The fire killed 66 and injured another 229, making the Santika Pub fire the worst in Thailand history. Later it was determined the fire began when the pyrotechnics ignited sound proofing and insulating materials on the ceiling. In addition, the building was overcrowded, and the main entrance was not large enough to allow for a quick evacuation – most of those who died were found at the entrance, unable to escape.
Unlike most of the nightclub fires we will see on this list, the Happy Land fire was started by an act of arson. However, like so many other nightclubs, the Happy Land building was an unlicensed “social club”, was built with combustible and flammable materials, had previously been closed for fire safety violations, and the fire exits had been blocked to prevent people from entering without paying. The fire started at the “Happy Land” located in New York City, on March 25, 1990. The fire killed 87 people, 68 on the second floor, and the rest on the first floor. Eleven people were killed inside a first floor restroom. Most of the victims were ethnic Hondurans.
The fire was started by an unemployed Cuban refugee named Julio González, who was upset at his former girlfriend (who worked at the club). As a result of the argument, González was ejected by the bouncer. Angry, he came back to the club with gasoline which he spread on the only staircase into the club. He then used matches to ignite the gasoline. The fire quickly spread to the combustible material used in the entry way, and then spread from the entry way into the first floor bar through a door someone had left open. Unlike so many nightclub fires, the Happy land building did have a partial sprinkler system on the second floor, but not all of the sprinkler heads activated and regardless, the sprinkler system was inadequate to contain and control the fire, which started on the first floor.
The Ozone Disco Club was located in Quezon City, Philippines. The fire started shortly after midnight, March 18, 1996 local time. At the time the fire started there were approximately 390 people crammed into a building that was approved for occupancy of 35! At least 162 people died and 95 were injured. The Ozone Disco Club fire is the worst fire in Philippine history. Like most nightclub fires, the victims were predominately young, in this case, high school and college students attending a graduation. The cause of the fire appeared to be related to sparks, possibly a short circuit, from the disc jockey’s booth. Many thought the smoke, the sparks, and then the lights going out, were part of the show. When they realized it was a fire, there was a rush for the exits. Within minutes, flames had engulfed the inside of the club and its mezzanine had collapsed.
Many of the bodies were discovered along the corridor leading to the only exit, piled up waist-high. Quezon City officials were quoted as saying that the club’s emergency exit had been blocked by a new building next door and that there was no proper fire exit. It was also reported that the exit had been locked from the outside by the club’s guards, who had thought that a riot had taken place. Since the fire, there have been reports of ghostly hauntings of the remains of the building, which was never restored, and still stands today.
The Club Cinq-Sept was a nightclub in south-eastern France just outside the small town of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, Isère On the night of Sunday, November 1, 1970 a fire started at approximately 1:40 AM, apparently by a carelessly discarded match. About 180 patrons remained inside the nightclub at that time. Of those, 146 people would not live. A popular nightclub with the young, most of the victims were under the age of 30 and many of them teenagers. Like so many nightclubs, the Club Cinq-Sept was constructed and decorated with highly flammable and combustible materials such as polyurethane and papier-mâché . The fire began in the upper gallery and quickly spread. About 30 people were able to escape out the main entrance before the fire fell from the gallery above, blocking the way out. Two other exits were not marked and were locked. All six members of the band playing that night (Storm) perished in the fire.
The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire 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 as a result of the blaze. Located in Southgate, Kentucky, The Beverly Hills Super Club was a major attraction, drawing headline talent from Las Vegas, Hollywood, and New York. That night’s entertainment was singer and actor John Davidson. The building had been a popular night spot since 1937 and by the time of the fire in 1977, several additions had created a sprawling complex of rooms, corridors, and service areas connected by narrow corridors.
More than 3,000 guests and staff were inside the club on the evening of the fire. The main show was in the Cabaret Room and it was estimated that over 1,300 patrons had been squeezed into the room. Other guests were in several restaurants, bars, private party rooms, and other rooms. Sometime between 8:30 and 9:00 PM, a fire started in the Zebra Room which had hosted a wedding reception. The fire was discovered around 9:00 AM by waitresses. Attempts were made to control the fire with fire extinguishers, but it was too late. The cause of the fire was never completely determined though it is thought that the use of aluminum wiring may have contributed.
At 9:08 PM, busboy Walter Bailey interrupted the show in the Cabaret Room, taking the stage to ask patrons to leave and pointing out the exits to the left and right of the stage. Some of the spectators obeyed and began to leave the Cabaret Room through the exits. Bailey was hailed as one of the heroes of the night, receiving official recognition and a letter from then U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Bailey said later that for years he rejected the title of hero and wondered if he’d done enough.
The fire burst into the Cabaret Room at 9:10 PM, preceded by thick smoke that spread all over the room, quickly engulfing it. Those who had not evacuated quickly panicked; many of them would be found dead piled up near the main entrance. The flames spread so rapidly that a full evacuation of the sprawling, crowded building was not possible.
Firefighters concentrated on the Cabaret Room where it was known that many people were trapped, but at midnight the roof had collapsed, and authorities doubted any more survivors would be found. John Davidson escaped via a door that had recently been constructed near the talent dressing room. His road manager also escaped, but his musical director perished.
The República Cromañón nightclub was located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On December 30, 2004, a fire started inside the club because of the unsafe use of fireworks/pyrotechnics. The fireworks, as we have seen before, ignited highly flammable construction and decorating materials, in this case, a plastic net hung from the ceiling, and foam material . Elsewhere in the building, flammable teddy bear stuffing was used as a cheap alternative to fiberglass or rock wool. Approximately 3,000 people were inside the club when the fire started and 194 were killed, another 714 were injured. Where there are pyrotechnic displays, there are usually bands and this fire was no exception. This night, the club was being playing by the rock group Callejeros. The club owner and the band’s lead singer had told the patrons not to use flares inside the building, to no avail. As always seems to be the case with nightclub fires, four of the six doors, some of which were fire exits, were chained shut so that “people would not enter without paying”. Most of the victims died from inhaling poisonous gases, smoke and carbon monoxide. The band members escaped with their lives.
The two deadliest nightclub fires in US history are bookended around the start of the second world war. The second deadliest, the Rhythm Night Club fire, happened on April 23, 1940, barely 18 months before Pearl Harbor. The nightclub was located in Natchez, Mississippi and the fire killed 209 African-American party goers, while severely injuring many others.
The fire started sometime around 11:30 p.m. 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. The fire started at the main entrance door of the building and quickly engulfed the structure in flames. Foretelling future nightclub fire disasters, flammable materials contributed to the speed and intensity of the fire, in this case, decorative Spanish moss was draped over the rafters. When burning, the moss generated flammable methane gas which fueled the fire. With windows boarded up to prevent outsiders from viewing or listening to the music, more than 300 people struggled to escape the building. A few managed to escape but most died from smoke inhalation or were crushed in the stampede to escape. Bandleader Barnes and nine members of his band were among the victims. Only three band members survived, one vowing never to play again. The cause of the fire is unknown but thought to be accidental, possibly related to a carelessly discarded match or cigarette.
The worst nightclub fire in US history also happened near the start of the second world war when the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts caught fire on the night of November 28, 1942. Almost a year after Pearl Harbor, the nightclub was filled with US military service men and their guests and locals when the fire started. 492 people were killed that night and hundreds more were injured. It is also the second-worst single-building fire in American history; only the Iroquois Theater fire 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.
The Cocoanut Grove was filled with approximately 1,000 occupants that evening, more than twice its official capacity of 460. Like the Rhythm Nightclub fire only two years earlier, flammable and combustible materials and decorations were used inside the building. The restaurant, bars, and lounges inside were fitted out with flammable paper palm trees, cloth draperies covering the ceiling, flammable furniture, and other flimsy decorations, some of which obscured exit signs.
The fire started at about 10:15 p.m. in the basement of the building when Stanley Tomaszewski, a 16-year-old busboy, was instructed to turn on a light which had been unscrewed from the socket by a young couple wishing to kiss in the dark. As he attempted to tighten the light bulb 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.
The fire quickly spread along the fronds of the palm tree, igniting nearby decorations on the walls and ceiling and raced up the stairway to the main level. People’s hair exploded in flames, oxygen was sucked out of the rooms, and a fire ball exploded through the central dance floor. The flames spread to two other adjoining rooms. Within five minutes, the entire nightclub was ablaze.
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, which quickly became jammed and useless as a means of escape as the panicked crowd piled up at the door. So many bodies were piled inside and out that firefighters had to dismantle the revolving door to get inside.
Outside doors had been welded shut to prevent people from leaving without paying 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. Fire officials later testified that, had the doors swung outwards, at least 300 lives could have been spared.
Perhaps the best known recent nightclub disaster was The Station nightclub fire. The fire at the Station was captured on video and images of the horror which unfolded were seen around the world. Perhaps the other reason this nightclub fire is so well known is because of the band that was playing The Station that night – the very popular, Great White. The fire began at 11:07 PM on Thursday, February 20, 2003. The Station was a rock n roll themed nightclub located in West Warwick, Rhode Island. One hundred people died in the fire, making The Station fire the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, As we have seen time and time again, the fire was caused when pyrotechnic sparks, set off by the Great White tour manager, ignited flammable sound insulation foam in the walls and ceilings around the stage. This created a flash fire that engulfed the club in 5 1/2 minutes. Some 230 people were injured and another 132 escaped.
The video above shows how quickly a fire can spread through a building, trapping those inside. Like so many other fires started by pyrotechnic displays, the club patrons initially thought the fire was part of the show. Even though the ceiling is clearly on fire, people can be seen in the video continuing to celebrate the bands opening song. Twenty seconds into their first song, the band stopped playing and lead singer Jack Russell calmly remarked into the microphone, “Wow…this ain’t good.” In less than a minute, the entire stage was engulfed in flames. Most of the band members escaped through a nearby exit. The fire alarm then went off. People now realize it is a real fire and unfamiliar with the club layout and the location of other exits, naturally move to the most familiar exit, the entrance where they came in. The resulting stampede for this one exit (though other exits were available) blocked the narrow hallway leading to the front entrance. Many people were trapped inside, crushed, suffocated, or killed by the fire, smoke, and toxic gases. Among those killed were Great White’s lead guitarist, Ty Longley. The fire was caught on videotape by cameraman Brian Butler for WPRI-TV of Providence. Butler was at The Station that night doing a segment on nightclub safety in the wake of the E2 nightclub stampede in Chicago that had claimed 21 lives only four days earlier.
The lessons of the Station and Santika Pub fires did not make their way to Perm Russia. On the night of December 5, 2009 a party was being held to celebrate the 8th anniversary of the Lame Horse Night Club. More than 280 people were invited. At approximately 1:00 AM, as the celebration was being videotaped, someone set of a pyrotechnic device. The club had used such firework displays before. This ignited the low ceiling which was made of a plastic covering and dry willow twigs. At first, no one reacted, possibly thinking the fire was part of the celebration. The master of ceremony continues with the entertainment. Soon after, video shows the fire spreading along the ceiling and quickly moving to the walls. The MC announces that people need to evacuate. People begin to leave. Some evacuated out a rear door, but this exit was not illuminated and unknown to many inside the club.
Most of the crowd went to the main entrance to try to escape the burning building. One leaf of the clubs double doors was sealed shut, slowing the evacuation as panicked people pushed toward the door. As people tried to push through the narrow exit, many did not make it and died only feet from safety as people piled up at the doorway. Others broke windows in an attempt to escape. This allowed oxygen to enter the burning building, speeding the fire. At least 153 people died in the blaze, most killed by carbon monoxide gas and smoke. Scores more were critically burned and are still receiving treatment. The Lame Horse Night Club fire is the deadliest in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The cause of the fire was the pyrotechnic display igniting the highly combustible and flammable ceiling material.
No.2, The Cocanut Grove fire in Boston, MA., read in the Wikipedia about the Boston College Football team after they were supposed to “trounce” Holy Cross in their annual final game. Boston College was ranked No.1 in the nation against the hapless Crusaders of Holy Cross. Let’s just say that the turn out for Boston College Football was actually a blessing in disguise…………you’ll figure it out.
Interesting list. I think it’s an unusual subject, but that’s what make listverse great.
I have read about a few nightclub fires in the past and in some cases a lot of life could have been saved with a little planing ahead. All to often saftey measures and procedures were not in place, exits blocked etc. An unusual list but one that was interesting.
Thanks for the list Van
I still remember the Ozone disco fire – I was just 6 when the news showed the horribly burned bodies, sometimes without the censoring blur or squares and often with detailed descriptions of their injuries and how they could have died; it gave me nightmares which haunted me for the next several years up to adolescence.
Interesting list. Number 4..wow, that’s alot of lost lives..
Very sad list. You’d think that the nightclubs would have learned a lesson from previous club fires! It must have been horrific for the poor people trapped. Now I’m sad…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stardust_fire
should be on it
This is the original footage of the Great White fire at the Station. Word of warning, it is EXTREMELY unsettling:
I’m amazed the main cause of these kinds of fires is the incorrect use of pyrotechnics, just because I work in a company that sells stage pyrotechnics (a very, very small part of our services package) and because of the security measures we demand the costumers take note of, most of the times we don’t sell them AT ALL, because their use is unsuitable in for the space. Venues like nightclubs, hotels and concert halls usually don’t meet minimum security standards, so we always mention that in our quotes and send in a technician to check out the space before we say “yes, you can have them”.
We’re not primarily directed to pyrotechnics but we take, at least, a little care when selling them – shouldn’t everyone who gets their hands on pyrotechnics do so?
How can people be so irresponsible to the point of playing with other people’s – and many times, their own – lives?
I heard the fire at the station (no.1) is what forced Great White to disband dnt know for sure though ….
no they didnt break up but vowed never too play the song they were playing when the fire happened again and i believe they have only played it once since at a memorial for those killed
I honestly thought that the Cocoanut Grove would reach the top. They made a low to never name another club in Boston (or something) since that incident.
Went to the Beverly Hills-#5-several times–
Back in the day, they even had gambling there.
Such tragedy just to make money. I remember reading about the Santika then the one in Perm. So very sad.
Well written list, VanOwensBody.
I’m glad my clubbing days are done!
JFrater,
In your effort to quell the silliness that had clogged the comments you switched to this new system.
It took me a half-hour to sign on, after numerous attempts to find a name “not already in use.” Then my pointed comments obviously did not pass muster and were not printed. I went back to WordPress to delete my account only to find this message: WordPress accounts are undeletable; they suggest one simply stops using it.
Great. So now you choose to stop posting any possibly unfavorable comments and you’ve rooked people who support your site into handing over personal contact information to a website from which it is impossible to leave.
I find this change to be disingenuous, at best. Frankly, the product is not worth this level of disrespect and hassle.
I deserve to be acknowledged, if not apologized to.
Most of you know me as Blue but I have had to register now so I am using a new nickname.
I really looked at this objectively to try and comment, however I was actually in the Santika fire on New Years Day 09.
It really was a terrible tragedy for all concerned, however as I have stated before and to all people that care to have a sympathetic viewpoint to the whole episode and as a bit of cathartic process for myself. You have to remember that these are accidents, whether waiting to happen or not is a moot point. They happened and saying you could have done this or that is like saying if my aunt had a penis she would be my uncle. Shoulda, woulda or coulda is really irrelevant in these types of situations and is just glory hounding by the media who wish to put their story on everyones lips and come across as the moral minority.
The biggest tragedy of the whole event and what sticks in my mind after helping to rescue some 20 people on that night is the reaction of the rest of the crowd. There are so many video clips and phone clips from the evening from “social media” classed as “citizen journalism” that these people should be ashamed of themselves.
There were possibly 20 people, including some staff, myself and my best friends, trying to get to the injured around the main entrance. I have scenes in my mind that no human being should witness, yet our natural reaction was to go and help, not dig out our cell phones to take video. These people should take a long hard look at themselves every morning they wake up and say to themselves “could I have done more”, “Could I have saved someone else instead of reaching for my video recording device”. Not only should these people be ashamed of themselves, they should be partly responsible for getting in the way of the emergency services, which contrary to the reporting here were on the scene within 10 minutes of the fire starting, the road, Ekkamai, that Santika was on is extremely busy at the best of times and was hampered by rubber neckers and other such incidents that blocked the path for the fire engines and emergency services.
People often use the phrases well if this was this way or that was this way then this would not have happened. These sentiments do not do justice to the families affected or the survivors such as myself or even the emergency services who actually saved one of my best friends within 20 minutes of the fire starting when she was huddled in the female rest rooms with 20 other such people. What they do is provide a social commentary that is both useless and meaningless to the survivors, especially those like myself who were in the thick of it trying to rescue those trapped.
There is always talk regarding the exits in Santika, however as a long term customer I can tell you that there were 5 exits available, the problem was that people panicked in the horrible situation they were in and lost their bearings or were not familiar with the surroundings. I urge everyone to do what i now do as a matter of course when entering a new environment, look for the exits, look for the safe egress routes. Those are the lessons to really learn, nothing can be 100% safe
There are a lot of videos of the Santika fire to look at and that is the main problem also, it seems that another persons suffering should be caught on camera rather than trying to help that person.
I am sure some of you will comment on this viewpoint and feel free to do that. I am just giving you the facts, not conjecture, not journalism, just the facts from someone that was directly involved and affected by this tragedy.
I wont go in to other areas of causation and so forth here as it is not worth the effort in that arena. But suffice to say there is more to this story than meets just a cursory glance.
My best wishes as always are with the people who survived and the families of those that were lost. I for one will never forget
Testing updated nick… thanks for the advice Jamie, Oouchan and others!
UTOPIA
Lima, Peru
A local club sends out 3200 double invitations to a ZOO themed party (club capacity 500) which includes 4 live felines (tigers), a horse and a chimp. At 3 AM, the DJ decides to start a pyrotechnics show which quickly races out of control. The lights go out as people begin to run to the exits (obviously not clearly marked). Unfortunately, the cry of “The lions got out!” makes some people hide in the bathroom where the toxic smoke kills them…
In all, 30 people die in the fire. One of them, the club bartender, entered and exited the building multiple times, each time leading more people to safety. In the end, he went in and never came back out.
RIP
@arthur2shedsjackson (14):
there were no pending comments or comments in trash w/ your IP so i’m not sure what you’re talking about re: your comments not passing muster. it may’ve been another issue not having to do w/ this site. or another admin has since cleaned up. as for registration to comment. it is SOP for most sites. so asking folks to do so here does not constitute some undue or unusual hardship. something you do once & then you’re done w/ it. also something that has to be in place for contests. wanna win a prize? register. it does not eliminate problems but certainly cuts down on them. since being in place there have been obnoxious comments so this is not censoring opposition just making it a bit more work for ‘drive by’ spammers & people who like to ruin this community’s fun. i hope Jamie keeps registration in place. most people will figure out how to register. how to comment. how to maintain contact w/ this community. & it will keep most of all but diehard ***** spammers at bay.
@julesmaine1 -
Couldn’t agree more about the cellphones. Sure it helps investigators and others to figure out what happened after the fact but it’s no help to the victims. What is with people that makes that their first reaction? Is that what so many have come to; forget stepping in to help, grab the phone and record the suffering. It’s crazy.
I do understand your comments too about hindsight, “so-and-so shouldn’t have locked the doors, they shouldn’t have used those building materials, etc.”. It does become a finger pointing issue. The one thing though that I cannot seem to wrap my mind around is the overcrowding in #7, 390 people in a club built for 35? Over ten times the occupancy! These are all tragedies but that one just strikes me as insane. I’m sure the kids didn’t care because they were out to have fun but how could the owner/manager ever allow so many into his building? I just hope in this case he/she was made to answer for allowing this outrageous overcrowding to cost so many lives.
Well, that’s my 2 cents for the day, just had to get it out… It was a sad list to read but well put together. Thnx VanOwens.
That was a great read. These are very tragic, and I can imagine it must be difficult for the families of those who died.
I’ve been in bad crowd situations before, but nothing comparable to the panic and chaos that these club fires must have.
@julesmaine1 (15): ‘
Thanks for sharing – great comment.
#8 – RE: Happy Land
‘Sin of The City’ – By Duran Duran
—————-
Coat check girl up in Happyland
Has a violent row with a Cuban man
Julio leaves in a drunken rage;
Comes back with the gasoline.
The club has no fire exit,
The club only had one door
Only five people came out alive
The sin is that 89 died
89 dead! 89 dead! 89 dead! 89 dead!
The sin is that a year and a half before
The fire chief’s out and he’s raising cain
Brands Happyland hazzard – close down – but no!
No-one ever paid him no mind.. (x4)
(chorus)
City living; heavy trouble – city living rough,
We are given angry hearts – but angers not enough.
Daily News reviews of the landlords life
Found six thousand code violations light.
The city has more than a hundred thousand wars
All for one of Forbes’ four hundred *****s.
Just one fire cracker on a big bonfire
Of self serving penny pinching wiseguy style.
Never allowing for the human condition. (hayyyeah) (x3)
The sin is that these guys survive.
(chorus) (chorus)
-
@Lifeschool (21):
I love Duran Duran! Never heard of that song before…
Great list, though.
Beverly Hills Supper Club, number 5, busboy Walter Bailey wondered if he did enough? I think he did more than enough! He’s a hero!
I dunno much about clubfires, they come n go in the international section of the daily but what I know is that fire hurts for sure. It is by far the most torturous means of physical torture I know. Just watch the final scene of Silent Hill and you’ll know. Looks like we’re all really in for something when we all meet in hell. Better to watch out for your sins yokefellows!(oh damn here goes the moral erfstick again)
@Lifeschool (21): No Hi today?
@julesmaine1 (15): A deeply heart-felt comment, Thank You for sharing that with us – sheer sheer tragedy.
@nicoleredz3 (22): It’s one of my favourite ‘life philosophy’ albums (behind Dark Side OTM), check it out.
I know that no one deserves to die in a fire, that’s a horrible way to go and certainly no laughing matter.
On the other hand, who in their right mind would actually pay to see John Davidson? I think the busboy came out and announced, ‘You people are watching John Davidson. Why? Please leave. ‘
‘Oh yeah, just FYI, there’s a fire.’
@Lifeschool (24):
Thanks! Will check it out.
@bucslim (25):
“I know that no one deserves to die in a fire, that’s a horrible way to go and certainly no laughing matter.”
I read this list and that fear never once came to mind! *shudders* It’s certainly a horrible way to die…
Very unique list
@nicoleredz3 (27):
Yes, dying in a fire after watching John Davidson is just a sad way to end life.
NEW YORK—Tragedy struck at a popular Manhattan nightclub Saturday, when the roof, the roof, the roof of The Tunnel caught fire, collapsing and killing 43 party people.
According to fire-department officials, the death toll was exacerbated by the clubgoers’ unwillingness to evacuate the burning building.
“I tried shouting to the people on the dance floor that the roof was on fire and that they should exit the premises immediately, but they seemed unfazed by the danger,” firefighter Michael Pitti said. “I just kept shouting, ‘The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire!’ and so forth, but they just went right on dancing, insisting that they didn’t need any of our water and that we should let the mother*****er burn.”
The party people’s refusal to exit the flame-engulfed nightclub is widely believed to have been the result of DJ Phreek Malik’s unstoppable mix of the hottest house, funk, hip-hop, disco, jungle and techno beats.
“DJ Phreek Malik was spinning in a manner so hot, these party people were willing to give up their lives for a few extra minutes on the dance floor,” New York City fire commissioner Thomas Von Essen said. “Even as a 50-foot-high wall of flames surged toward them, they continued to dance, throwing their hands in the air and waving them as if they just didn’t care.”
As flames continued to fill the nightclub, firefighters frantically urged the revelers to keep low to the ground to avoid smoke inhalation, but the warnings were universally ignored.
“I was screaming at the top of my lungs, ‘Get down! Get down, party people!’” said Garry Hodges of Ladder Company 42, “but the more I shouted out, the harder they danced.”
Though an FDNY investigation is still pending, the deadly blaze is believed to have begun at 11:40 p.m., when a roof-mounted ventilation system short-circuited, igniting the mother*****er. The fire is New York’s deadliest since 1978, when 117 party people burned, baby, burned to death in a South Bronx disco inferno.
Fireworks indoors? That’s just idiocy. I can see it in arenas where the ceiling is 100 feet high and there’s 12 exits clearly marked. But in a nightclub?!!!
Note: Fireworks don’t make your band cool. The music does.
@ldux (30):
I understand your irreverence and trying to make a joke about this sort of thing to lighten the mood, however i have to take issue with your comments.
They really arent funny to people like myself who witnessed these things first hand.
to see what I saw and to understand the real tragedy, I suggest that you look here:
Warning this is very graphic:
At 2:16 in this next video, you can see me in a white shirt going back in and my friend (who I had never met before that night) Aron with his shirt off going back in:
I am sorry to do this guys but if you had read the comments you would have realised that someone actually involved was and is a regular contributor to Listverse.
Not trying to be an arse guys, just have a little respect.
@ldux (30):
I haven’t laughed at a post like that on this site in a very, very long time.
. . . . except for my own posts I mean.
Good list! Very sad.
@bucslim (33): http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Laughing-at-Your-Own-Jokes
That should help.
Interesting list VanOwensBody
Here is a video (Caution very disturbing) of the Lame Horse Club fire so eerily similar to the Station Nightclub fire
@bucslim (33): Hi buc!! I came back just to tell you how awesome you are.
This would be a horrible thing to witness in any capacity.
The Iroquois Theatre was proclaimed to be “absoloutely Fireproof.” 602 people died, 200 by fire, the rest crushed to death. I live in Chicago. “This fire set the stage for the nation’s first fire code for public buildings.” (Source: Great Disasters of the 20th Century by Margot Keam Cleary. A most fascinating book, btw.)
Hello Everyone.
First thanks to Listverse for posting my submitted list. I love the lists here and I learn a lot from reading the information people submit.
Thanks to the readers who posted comments, I hope you found my list to be interesting and informative. I would not say “enjoyed” because of the topic.
I did not create the list to pass judgement or place blame for these fires, all of these fires except the one were horrible accidents, no one wanted or intended to hurt others. That’s what makes nightclub fires so tragic – people are getting together, enjoying life, celebrating, dancing, singing, and in a few short minutes, everything changes and it is a life or death struggle.
If there is anything redeeming that comes out of these historic and tragic fires, it is they force, by the shear magnitude of the horror, changes to building codes and fire regulations. These changes have saved untold countless thousands of lives. Your house, your school, your place of work – every building you visit – is more fire-safe – because of these and other fires
Thanks to Lifeschool for posting the lyrics to the Duran Duran song. I had heard they did a song about this terrible fire, but I never read the lyrics. Very powerful.
VanOwensBody
@blogball (37):
I’m… like…Wow…
@vanowensbody (40):
Congrats! On having a list published and a great one at that…
I have read about a few of them, we have had a few in my country but as somebody has already mentioned most of them were unsafe, and illegal.
In my line of work we install smoke detectors ducting and extraction fans.
Should a fire break out the smoke detector will sound a alarm the extraction fans will kick in and suck out the smoke, reducing smoke inhalation of the party goers.
But their is always someone to greedy – money before the safety of their patrons.
Thanks V.O.B. I enjoyed the list.
Interesting, yet sad list, VanOwensBody. Good work, though.
One notable omission: The Montreux Casino was set ablaze during a Zappa concert in 1971, by “some stupid with a flare gun”, thus inspiring the lyrics to Deep Purple’s classic Smoke on the Water.
So so sad. Fantastic list though, I never really gave much thought to my emergency exits, but those vids have really scared me. Definitely noting them from now on. All those people piled up at the door….. god. Bscooter’s right, the Stardust deserves a mention.
@ juliesmaine1, I am so sorry you had to go through that. You poor thing.
@vanowensbody (40):
I should say this was a great list and I appreciate your efforts here.
I never thought something I would ever have been involved with would ever be on this website.
I just wish it was for something in my real life and not a tragedy I was caught up in.
Great list and it actually has brought back some bad memories for me, however this is tempered by the people I have met afterwards and a feeling of doing the right thing.
My friends and I are still thanked for the help we gave that night and I guess that has to be something positive to take away from this terrible experience.
@bucslim (25):
@julesmaine1 (45):
I’m so very sorry… Sorry anyone has to live with horrific memories, such as that, but the outcome is that you have your life.
It’s the fear of being trampled on or being burnt to death are the reasons why I’ve stopped clubbing a few years now; in my teenaged years, myself…
@Maggot (43): Yes, I agree – those are very poignant lyrics:
‘Smoke On The Water’ (Extract) – By Deep Purple.
———————
“But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky,
Smoke on the water…
They burned down the gamblin’ house,
It died with an awful sound
[and] Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground.”
@julesmaine1 (15): What a contrast between your comment and the one immediately preceding yours by @arthur2shedsjackson (14):
arthur2shedsjackson: It’s not as though you’re required to post a comment on Listverse in order to pass a class at school or receive a paycheck. Simple solution: don’t register, and don’t comment. You feel you’re owed an apology because you wasted a half hour of your day? *Shudder* Try reading the post by julesmaine1 for what a truly ‘bad day’ looks like.
I for one am enjoying the change here, no more relentless and tedious posts like, “the US sucks!” followed by “the US rules, everyone one else sucks!” Back and forth ad nauseam.
@arthur2shedsjackson (14): Seriously, registering through wordpress may have been the easiest thing I have ever done. I can’t think of anything within the past 10 years that was more simple for me to do. Ooooh, wordpress knows my email address, I feel so violated….Interesting, albeit very random, list. Good work.
@julesmaine1 (15): Your post was very moving. As you invited comment (“I am sure some of you will comment on this viewpoint and feel free to do that.) I hope you don’t mind a small quibble with what you expressed. … When you say,”Shoulda, woulda or coulda is really irrelevant in these types of situations and is just glory hounding by the media…” I get where you’re coming from, but part of the motivation may very well be a positive one. Sure, many times the press seem way too eager to dive into the latest tragedy much like a pit bull after a toddler, but “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – (George Santayana).
I don’t want to believe that all members of the media are motivated by the desire to profit from others losses. Of course there the lowlifes as in any business (i.e. those who chase the latest starlet to catch her without her underwear.) But I’m sure there are those, who as fellow human beings, were horrified and may well be motivated by a desire to prevent this from occurring again; or at the very least minimize the loss of life. As you say, “nothing can be 100% safe.”
One last thing, I see the attempts at humor here have offended you (@julesmaine1 (32):). As I’ve mentioned here before I provide services to people with disabilities, often when we suffer a loss or go through emotionally difficult times, we as staff find ourselves joking about it. Gallows humor, I suppose. It’s a common defense mechanism. I can’t speak for others here, but I’m fairly certain no offense was meant. I must admit I found the comments by Idux and bucslim funny – sorry.
JulesMaine1
Thank you for the nice compliment on the list. I am sorry you were there and had to go through the horror that you did, but I am glad you managed to get out of that club alive. And you should be proud of yourself for selflessly helping save others while some decided it was better to video the tragedy.
I know it is difficult to do, but try not to have hatred for those who videoed instead of helping others. In real emergencies like this one, people react in many different ways, some good, some bad, some indifferent. Some selfless, some selfish. They say in an emergency, the “real” you will come out. I’d say that speaks volumes for your character.
And thanks Maggot for the Montreux Fire reference. Another fire to inspire a rock song (and a gret one at that). I found a link tht has a video you can watch, filmed by someone with a Super 8 camera the day of the fire.
http://montreuxmusic.com/mmm/content/view/172/225/lang,english/
@Maggot (43): thank you for the advice concerning the nickname. It has been helpful.
@Moonbeam (51): i understand the jokes some docs or the like make. It must be difficult to do that day im day out even if you are used to it and an expert at it. What counts is to do the best when they have to.
@julesmaine1 (15):
Thank you for your insight regarding the horrible experience you endured. Whether or not you want to embrace it, you are a hero.
@vanowensbody (40):
I read your list and even though all the incidences were a real tragedy, I really didn’t know how to react to the list.
Now that I have read julesmaines1′s comment I know what my reaction is.
I’m well past my clubbing days, but my teens are just entering their glory days. Today when the get in the house from school they should expect to receive one more piece of education.
I’ll be letting them know to always have a firm grasp of WHERE they are, and how to get out if the need arises.
Thank-you for the list.
Worthwhile and well thought-out list.
However, I’m hogging the thread with my user name experience only here. Sorry.
Unlike others, my re-entry to commenting has been a rocky path to say the least. More a log-jam than a log-in. I’m the original, genuine +Casual Reader+. When I tried to register as such twice, the first was rejected as invalid, the second as the name having been already registered. If that’s actually a fact, thanks a bundle +Usurper Casual Reader+. I don’t WTF you expect to gain from confusing other posters – but presumably you do.
I wondered whether to bother to continue. Surely continuity of identity is one of the most valuable aspects of LV interaction? Choice of discarding a nick-name familiar to all should surely be the poster’s option, not the system’s? Then I hit on the idea of prefacing the old aka with +The Original …+ The system decided to concertina all these four words together in lower case. Not my preference, but better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick I suppose.
So my advice to anyone who can’t recover their original user name is to try adding +theoriginal+ in front of it.
@ldux (30): Dark, dark humor… I understand that some people are more sensitive than others but I personally feel that laughter is the best release of raw emotion. Otherwise, the guilt, pain, whatever will eat at you.
In short, your post made me choke on my chocolate milk.
One of my teachers in high school was supposed to go to The Station on that fateful night. I can’t remember the reason, but something happened kind of last minute that made him decide to not go. To this day I wonder how much it actually affected him – I’m sure there were people he probably knew who didn’t make out.
I later had a friend in college who I know did lose a friend – and this was only discovered by my friends and I after somebody made a joke about it with her around. So you know, it does go to show you that you have to be sensitive to these kinds of things because there are far more victims to these types of things than those who were direct casualities of the event.
Hopefully some people take away the lesson everyone can learn from this list – always know where the exits any time you are in a situation where a large amount of people are gathered. It may sound like making a mountain out of a mole hill, but once you have your spot you really should map out a couple of exit routes. I used to do it just to beat the crowd out at the end of things… I realized not too long ago that it was situations like these that make doing that far more important than just beating the rush.
@theoriginalcasualreader (55):
but most of them are our *****s. LV regulars who we all know & love in spite of them being *****s. 
you know who you are. & you know we love you regardless. *smoochies* LOL
it is worth it! so keep registering. keep commenting. 
i’m sorry for any regulars who’ve had problems w/ registration. still i do think it is well worth the trouble. the comment section is a much nicer place to frequent now. still have *****s
so there has been no censorship as a result of this change just eliminating spammers & other drive by types who’ve no interest in our comment community but only in making trouble. so for any regulars still having issues registering…good advice to set up a similar username if not your first choice by adding something like ‘the original’ or whatever. be sure to clear up the confusion in your comment ..as has been done. those of us who care will make the effort to sort that out. i hope all the regulars will continue to comment. & i think this more welcoming climate in comments will encourage more new commentors to our community as well.
Excellent list V.O.B. Made even more excellent by the first hand account of julesmaine1. I don’t think I’d be very quick at forgiving the cell phone/tragedy hounds either. Shameful that publicity and sensation mongering take precedence over lending a hand. Not really any good excuse for it – sure we all react differently to emergencies and tragedies – but who the hell reacts by first pulling out the cell phone camera? Selfish/self-centred folks imo.