Coconut Grove Fire

I need the group's help. I seem to remember seeing an A&E documentary; I believe it was on the Coconut Grove Night Club Fire in Boston. In the show, they reported that the owner was in the hospital at the time(for other reasons) when victims were being brought in. When he learned it was his place, he suffered a heart attack. My questions; Do I have the right fire? The right show? Was this part of the story true? Did the owner die from the heart attack? Thank you. Mark Goodman Asst. Fire Marshal Bonita Springs Fire District

Needless to say, this happened a long time ago...but I seem to remember, from some of my father's stories that it was the Coconut Grove NIght Club in Los Angeles, not in Boston. Nor do I know anything re a heart attack... Wish I could help more, but this was anecdotal information from my father...and unfortunately, I didn't listen as closely as I should to his anecdotes.

<< I need the group's help. I seem to remember seeing an A&E documentary; I believe it was on the Coconut Grove Night Club Fire in Boston. In the show, they reported that the owner was in the hospital at the time(for other reasons) when victims were being brought in. When he learned it was his place, he suffered a heart attack. My questions; Do I have the right fire? The right show? Was this part of the story true? Did the owner die from the heart attack? Thank you.>>

Mark, the fire gets extended discussion in the NFPA book titled 'Building Construction For The Fire Service', of which your department may have a copy. I don't recall if it's in the reedited 'second edition' or not, but it certainly was covered in depth in the first edition.

(The first edition is also a much better 'read', for what that's worth. Some hairbrained editor took what was a delightful book on a somber topic and 'fixed it' to the point that it's hard to slog through. Stupid publishers...)

The fire, occurring during the war, was a typical 'blocked exit' situation, where the bodies were stacked up like cordwood as the crowd rushed towards the obstructed (by more bodies) exits. Most deaths were not due to burns but rather to smoke inhalation. Classic argument for all of the exit hardware on the door and the clear passage to them that we here at OSHA have to reprove everytime it gets taken to court.

Call around to the other area departments if you don't have a copy, and remember to ask if it's the old one.

Terry L. Stibal Assistant Area Director, _H_ouston _S_outh _A_rea _O_ffice ('Remember, you can't spell 'OSHA' without 'HSAO'

Terry L. Stibal

No, it was indeed in Boston, in 1942, with 400-500 people killed including many servicemen. The fire still informs the Boston Fire Department, as you can see on their website.

I remember it quite vividly, and remember also that all public buildings in Boston were required to have outward-opening doors following the fire. (People were trapped at Coconut Grove because they piled up against the revolving door.) The heart-attack story rang a bell, but I can't be sure if I'm not just displacing another such incident (the captain of the sidewheeler Mount Washington had a heart attack when the steamer burned, also about that time).

Google gives many hits on the subject of Cocnut Grove, so that would be a place to start.

all the best

The ownwer of the club was a person by the name of Welansky. I am sure he lived long enough to have been indicted and did serve some prison time along with the unfortunate bus boy who lit the match that started this tragedy. I was an eye witness to the scene at the club...I arrived along with a friend and got there just as the fire engines arrived.I was 14 yrs old at the time... a report that I wrote is on file at the fire fighters association located in Quincy , Mass. I was able to observe the scene from a distance of about 20 ft. of the entrance. I am probably the only eye witness living since the others in the group that were observing were much older than I. I met a person whose elderly inlaw was inside the club...I have tried to contact this person but have been unable to communicate with him.. I guess he may be incapacitated.