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.
República Cromañón. 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.
Rhythm Night Club. 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.
Cocoanut Grove. 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.
Fire officials later testified that, had the doors swung outwards, at least 300 lives could have been spared.
The Station. 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.
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