During the New Year's Eve festivities in the Swiss Alps, a fire at a crowded pub claimed over 40 lives and injured 115 more, many of them critically.
Harrowing footage from cellphones showed the initial moments of the disaster as partygoers fled in terror as flames spread across the basement level of the bar's wooden ceiling. Then the higher level was consumed by the rising flames.
Two women informed French station BFMTV that they were inside the establishment when they witnessed a waitress being hoisted on a bartender's shoulders while holding a burning candle in a bottle that burned the wooden ceiling. The source of the fire is yet unknown. They claimed that the ceiling collapsed as a result of the flames spreading quickly.
"The entire ceiling caught fire in a matter of seconds. They said, "Everything was made of wood."
According to a BBC News translation, one of the women reported seeing "approximately 200 people trying to get out within 30 seconds down some very small steps," as guests hastily attempted to flee a basement nightclub up a flight of stairs and through a narrow entrance.
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old Parisian who survived the fire, claimed to have seen waiters enter carrying Champagne bottles and sparkles but not the fire itself.
The bar was described as "absolute anarchy" by him. "Two or three were missing," he told The Associated Press, and one of his buddies had passed away.
Beatrice Pilloud, the attorney general for Valais Canton, stated early in the investigation that it was "completely unknown" how many people were inside the pub when the fire started, but that officials will be investigating its maximum capacity The catastrophe was reminiscent of certain previous catastrophes in which fatal bar and nightclub fires occurred in the United States.
In February 2003, a nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, caught fire. Over 200 people were injured and 100 people died as a result of the deadly fire.
"On a Thursday night, we headed out to enjoy some beer, music, and fun. Linda Saran, a survivor who suffered severe burns in the fire, told CBS News in 2021 that 25% of those victims never got to return home.
When Jack Russell's Great White took the stage, four massive fireworks were fired off, igniting the fire and quickly spreading it across the soundproofing foam and up the walls. To address noise complaints, the nightclub's proprietors had placed foam around the walls and ceilings; however, sprinklers were not installed, and the foam was extremely combustible.
Another safety concern was the exits. According to inspection records, the local fire marshal had cited the owners three months before to the incident for having an interior secondary door by the stage that opened inward, which was against the rules. On the night of the fire, they were instructed to take it down, but it remained up.
Eighty-seven people were killed and numerous others were injured in a fire at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx borough of New York City in March 1990.
Arson was the cause of the fire. After a fight with his fiancée, a man named Julio Gonzalez spilled gasoline on the foyer floor and set it on fire.
Some victims died cuddling or holding hands, while others lost their lives while still holding beverages since the fire spread so swiftly.
There were no fire exits, sprinklers, or fire alarms at the social club. Due to several building and fire code breaches, the city had ordered its closure, therefore it was functioning illegally at the time.
Following the incident, New York City increased efforts to close down illicit clubs and improved fire safety regulations. Due to the numerous fatalities in the fire, Gonzalez was found guilty of murder.
On November 28, 1942, the Cocoanut Grove club in Boston saw the deadliest nightclub fire in American history. There were hundreds of injuries and 492 fatalities.
The fire began in the basement and quickly spread through the lounge and up a stairway that served as a chimney, however the cause was never formally identified. The single rotating door at the front entry was clogged with people trying to escape the fire, and two exit doors were closed, trapping many customers inside.
When the fire began, the club was more than twice as full as it could have been.
The club's combustible soundproofing substance was held responsible for the fire's quick spread. In addition to medical care for burn victims, the disaster resulted in modifications to building laws and standards, such as the requirement that revolving doors be flanked by ordinary doors that open outward.
"The repercussions of Cocoanut Grove are already forever enshrined in the legislation, safety practices, the technologies and knowledge that have already saved many lives," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stated during a 2022 ceremony commemorating the fire's 80th See More.....
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