Beverly Hills: the anatomy of a nightclub fire PDF
Preview Beverly Hills: the anatomy of a nightclub fire
1 TheAnatomy of a Nightclub Robert G. Lawson Coverphoto:LouisvilleLouner-Joumal > I Beverly Hills: The Anatomy of a Nightclub Fire Robert G. Lawson On the evening of May 28, 1977, the lavish Beverly Hills Supper Club burned, killing 165 people in the second worst nightclub fire in U.S. history. Billed as "The Showplace of the Nation, the club had risen from ' the ashes of an earlier fire, in 1970, and generated concern among local and state public officials throughout the period of its renovation and expansion. Despite warnings from local inspectors and fire department officials, the state fire marshal's office, and a state senator, conditions in the complex remained substantially unchanged. The fire was discovered at approximately 9:00 P.M. Within eight minutes, nearly all of the roughly 2500 occupants of the Beverly Hills complex were aware of the danger, and most were moving toward the exits. Shortly thereafter, exits from the largest of the entertainment rooms had become impassible, jammed with patrons who had fallen over each other and were pressed in by crowds surging upon them. Roughly two hours after the discovery of the fire, as rescue workers pulled the last survivor from the complex, the exits were still jammed continuedon back flap mtm iSftyilMigMCLIBRARY 3 1833-60 [ 976.934 L44b 5Q0153fl Lawson, Robert G. Beverly Hi Use the anatomy of a nightclub fire DO NOT REMOVE CARDS FROM POCKET ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY FORT WAYNE, INDIANA 46802 You may return this book to any agency, branch, or bookmobile ofthe Allen County Public Library. Beverly Hills Beverly Hills The Anatomy ofa Nightclub Fire by Lawson Robert G. ^ Ohio University Press J&) 1 Athens,Ohio f ig Copyright 1984byRobertG.Lawson. Printed intheUnitedStatesofAmerica. All rightsreserved. LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Lawson,RobertG. BeverlyHills :theanatomyofanightclubfire. — 1. BeverlyHillsSupperC—lub(Southgate,Ky.) Fire, 1977.—2. Southgate(Ky.) Fire, 1977. 3. Southgate (Ky.) Nightclubs,dancehalls,etc. I. Title. F459.S695L39 1984 976.9'34 83-23686 ISBN0-8214-0728-7 . 5001532 Contents Preface 1 The Seeds of Tragedy 1 2. The Making of a Firetrap 29 3. The Calm Before the Storm 59 4. Discovery and Notification of the Fire 91 5. Escape From the Front 129 6. Escape From the Showroom 161 7. Rescue and Recovery 203 8. The Aftermath 241 9. Conclusion 283 Epilogue 295 Notes 303 Digitized by the Internet Archive 2012 in http://archive.org/details/beverlyhillsanatOOIaws
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