The 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston was the worst nightclub fire in U.S. history, leaving 492 dead and 166 injured. (It’s also on record as the second-deadliest fire in a single building; the 1903 fire at Chicago’s Iroquois Theater has the dubious distinction of being the first. Block Club Chicago, https://tinyl.io/5L6T)
The chain of events that night and the disregard for safety measures were a recipe for disaster:
The nightclub was crowded with nearly 1,000 patrons in a space designed for 460.
Flammable materials were used for artificial palm trees and satin-covered ceilings. Due to the shortage of freon in wartime, highly flammable methyl chloride was used for the nightclub’s air conditioning systems.
The nightclub’s main entrance was a revolving door. Other exits had been locked to prevent patrons from skipping out on their bills. A sealed exit was a throwback to Prohibition when the nightclub served as a speakeasy.
The cause of the fire has been attributed to a busboy who was ordered to tighten a bulb that had been loosened by a patron who wanted privacy to kiss his date. Instead of a flashlight, the busboy used a match to tighten the bulb. The flame from the match ignited the fronds of a nearby palm and the fire spread despite waiters’ efforts to douse the flames.
An official report by Boston Fire Commissioner William A. Reilly determined the cause of the fire was of an unknown origin. Report concerning the Cocoanut Grove fire, November 28, 1942: Boston (Mass.) https://tinyl.io/5VJj Despite this finding, the 16-year-old busboy, Stanley Tomaszewski, would live under the shadow of this accusation for the rest of his life. New England Historical Society, https://tinyl.io/5VJk
Within minutes, the nightclub was engulfed in smoke and flames. With no sprinkler system, the nightspot was plunged into darkness as the flames ate through the electrical system.
Panicked patrons were horrified to find exits inaccessible. The one exit that was unlocked opened inwards and was rendered useless as people rushed to get out. A plate glass window had been boarded up and couldn’t be smashed in an emergency.
Others who made it to the revolving door crammed it to the point that it broke, trapping people inside.
As a result of this tragedy, fire regulations tightened, not only in Boston but throughout the nation:
- Initially, revolving doors were banned. However, this was revisit
There may have been an overbearing/abusive parental figure also??
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