![]() Rhythm Club dance hall, Natchez, Mississippi ApDeaths: 207.In total, 100 lives were lost, more than 230 people were injured, and countless lives within the community were impacted.Įvery tragedy has something to teach us and paves the way for numerous technical investigations, recommendations and changes to model codes. The technical investigation report acknowledged that, “given the hazardous mix of materials in The Station and the lack of installed sprinklers, nothing that the fire department could have done that night would have saved the building from the fast-growing fire.” The fire department implemented its mass casualty incident (MCI) plan within 10 minutes of arriving and activated its mutual-aid task force response. Hundreds of “walking wounded” were scattered throughout the scene, many with serious injuries. The first-arriving engine crew found clubgoers jumping from the windows and piled on top of one another at the main door, unable to exit. The crew immediately stretched a 1¾-inch hoseline while reporting heavy smoke and flames pouring from multiple locations. The first engine arrived on the scene around 5½ minutes after the fire started and was positioned in front of the building. According to the NIST analysis of the fire, untenable conditions were reached on the dance floor in less than 90 seconds. Less than two minutes after the first flames appeared, heavy black smoke could be seen pumping from the main entrance over the jammed doorway. The main exit quickly became unusable as people fell and tried to climb over one another to escape, creating an unpassable wedge. It’s estimated that between 56 and 66% of the occupants attempted to leave the same way they had entered the building – through the main entrance.Ī toxic smoke layer filled the space as the occupants attempted to exit. By this time, the club’s occupants had begun moving toward the exits. ![]() The fire alarm activated at around 41 seconds, sounding and flashing strobes. After approximately 30 seconds, the band stopped playing after noticing flames rolling across the ceiling. Within 19 seconds, the fire was progressing toward the ceiling, and smoke began to fill the building. Flames were visible on the wall’s surface within nine seconds after discharge. The hot sparks from the pyrotechnics contacted the wall and ceiling immediately adjacent to the drummer’s alcove. Records indicate that in 1991, the building was turned into a nightclub. Ownership changed in 1985, and the building became a pub. ![]() In 1972, a fire caused the building to close its doors until 1974, when it reopened as a restaurant. Over the years, the building changed ownership multiple times and experienced numerous remodels and renovations. In 1946, brothers Casey and Henry Lada opened a gin mill at 211 Cowesett Ave. The aftermath of this tragedy forever changed the way we design, inspect and enjoy these venues. The building was not protected with a sprinkler system, partly due to a grandfathered clause relating to the adopted codes at the time of construction or other triggers such as major alterations or change in occupancy. history.Īlthough many factors were involved in the loss of so many lives that day, the installation of a properly functioning sprinkler system would have positively impacted the outcome. One hundred individuals died in the West Warwick, R.I., fire, making it the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. It took less than 5 minutes for fire to engulf The Station nightclub, packed with concertgoers, on Feb.
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