Summerland disaster
Encyclopedia
The Summerland disaster occurred when a fire
spread through the Summerland leisure centre
in Douglas
on the Isle of Man
on the night of 2 August 1973. 50 people were killed and 80 seriously injured.
building covering 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) on Douglas's waterfront, consisting of 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) of floor area at a cost of £
2 million. Summerland was designed to accommodate up to 10,000 tourists and comprised a dance
area, five floors of holiday games, restaurant
s and public bars
. It was a 1960s concrete design
incorporating advanced controlled internal climate, built with novel construction techniques using new plastic
materials. The street frontage and part of the roof was clad in Oroglas, a transparent acrylic glass sheeting.
course. Eventually the burning kiosk slumped against the exterior of the building. This part of the building was clad in a material called Galbestos – profiled steel
sheeting with asbestos
felt on both sides coated with bitumen – which had limited fire-resistance qualities. This set fire to the interior sound-proofing material, which also had poor fire-resistance qualities, causing an explosion which ignited the highly flammable acrylic
sheeting which covered the rest of the building. The fire spread quickly across the sheeting on the leisure centre walls and roof, and through vents which were not properly fireproofed. The acrylic melted, which allowed more oxygen
to enter and dropped burning melted material, both starting other fires and injuring those trying to escape. The building's open-plan design included many unblocked internal spaces that acted as chimneys
adding to the conflagration.
were not called for almost thirty minutes, and even then the call did not originate from the centre. Instead the emergency call came via the captain of a ship located 2 miles (3.2 km) out at sea who radioed HM Coastguard
and said "It looks as if the whole of the Isle of Man is on fire". The Coastguard immediately called the fire brigade.
There was no attempt to evacuate the 3,000 people present until the visible evidence of the flames prompted a panic
-stricken mass rush for the exits, where many people were crushed and trampled because of the locked doors. Because of the locked fire door
s many people headed to the main entrance, which caused a crush.
The first responding fire crews immediately realised additional resources would be required and almost every resource available to the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service
was mobilised to the incident (93 of its 106 firefighters and all 16 of its engines).
which ran from September 1973 to February 1974. No specific individuals or groups were blamed and the deaths were attributed to misadventure: the delay in evacuation and the flammable building materials were condemned. Changes to Building Regulations to improve fire safety were introduced. The centre was seriously damaged by the fire. Its charred steel skeleton remains were demolished in 1975 and then rebuilt on a smaller scale, construction commenced in 1976, with a lot less glass area than the original and with a highly advanced fire extinguisher and alarm system, it re-opened in 1978. It finally closed in 2004 and was demolished in 2005. The east wall remains intact as there is concern that its removal may cause the adjacent cliff to collapse.
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
spread through the Summerland leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
in Douglas
Douglas, Isle of Man
right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
on the night of 2 August 1973. 50 people were killed and 80 seriously injured.
Background
Summerland was opened on 25 May 1971. A climate-controlledHVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
building covering 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) on Douglas's waterfront, consisting of 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) of floor area at a cost of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
2 million. Summerland was designed to accommodate up to 10,000 tourists and comprised a dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
area, five floors of holiday games, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s and public bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
. It was a 1960s concrete design
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
incorporating advanced controlled internal climate, built with novel construction techniques using new plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
materials. The street frontage and part of the roof was clad in Oroglas, a transparent acrylic glass sheeting.
Fire, materials and design
The fire started around 7:30 pm in a small kiosk adjacent to the centre's mini-golfMiniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
course. Eventually the burning kiosk slumped against the exterior of the building. This part of the building was clad in a material called Galbestos – profiled steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
sheeting with asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
felt on both sides coated with bitumen – which had limited fire-resistance qualities. This set fire to the interior sound-proofing material, which also had poor fire-resistance qualities, causing an explosion which ignited the highly flammable acrylic
Acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:Chemicals and materials:* Chemical compounds that contain the acryl group derived from acrylic acid* Acrylic fiber, a synthetic polymer fiber that contains at least 85% acrylonitrile...
sheeting which covered the rest of the building. The fire spread quickly across the sheeting on the leisure centre walls and roof, and through vents which were not properly fireproofed. The acrylic melted, which allowed more oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
to enter and dropped burning melted material, both starting other fires and injuring those trying to escape. The building's open-plan design included many unblocked internal spaces that acted as chimneys
Stack effect
Stack effect is the movement of air into and out of buildings, chimneys, flue gas stacks, or other containers, and is driven by buoyancy. Buoyancy occurs due to a difference in indoor-to-outdoor air density resulting from temperature and moisture differences. The result is either a positive or...
adding to the conflagration.
Delay and disorganisation
The fire servicesFirefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
were not called for almost thirty minutes, and even then the call did not originate from the centre. Instead the emergency call came via the captain of a ship located 2 miles (3.2 km) out at sea who radioed HM Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
and said "It looks as if the whole of the Isle of Man is on fire". The Coastguard immediately called the fire brigade.
There was no attempt to evacuate the 3,000 people present until the visible evidence of the flames prompted a panic
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction...
-stricken mass rush for the exits, where many people were crushed and trampled because of the locked doors. Because of the locked fire door
Fire door
A fire door is a door with a fire-resistance rating used as part of a passive fire protection system to reduce the spread of fire or smoke between compartments and to enable safe egress from a building or structure or ship...
s many people headed to the main entrance, which caused a crush.
The first responding fire crews immediately realised additional resources would be required and almost every resource available to the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service
Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service
The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service operates seven fire stations across the Isle of Man.The service operates under the Department of Home Affairs.-Fire stations:...
was mobilised to the incident (93 of its 106 firefighters and all 16 of its engines).
Aftermath
50 people died in the fire. The number of fatalities was worsened by the failure of power supplies and emergency generators, inadequate ventilation and locked fire doors. The death-toll brought about a public inquiryPublic inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
which ran from September 1973 to February 1974. No specific individuals or groups were blamed and the deaths were attributed to misadventure: the delay in evacuation and the flammable building materials were condemned. Changes to Building Regulations to improve fire safety were introduced. The centre was seriously damaged by the fire. Its charred steel skeleton remains were demolished in 1975 and then rebuilt on a smaller scale, construction commenced in 1976, with a lot less glass area than the original and with a highly advanced fire extinguisher and alarm system, it re-opened in 1978. It finally closed in 2004 and was demolished in 2005. The east wall remains intact as there is concern that its removal may cause the adjacent cliff to collapse.
See also
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23 April 1940; Natchez, Mississippi; 209 dead - Cocoanut Grove fireCocoanut Grove fireThe Cocoanut Grove was Boston's premier nightclub during the post-Prohibition 1930s and 40s. On November 28, 1942, occurred the scene of what remains the deadliest nightclub fire, killing 492 people and injuring hundreds more...
28 November 1942; Boston, Massachusetts; 492 dead - Club Cinq-Sept fireClub Cinq-Sept fireThe Club Cinq-Sept fire was a major disaster which took place in south-eastern France on Sunday, 1 November 1970. 146 people, almost all of them aged between 17 and 30, died when a nightclub just outside the small town of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, Isère was completely destroyed in a catastrophic...
1 November 1970; Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France; 146 dead - Beverly Hills Supper Club fireBeverly Hills Supper Club fireThe Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate, Kentucky is the third deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. It occurred on the night of May 28, 1977, during the Memorial Day weekend...
28 May 1977; Southgate, Kentucky; 165 dead - Stardust fire 14 February 1981; Dublin, Ireland; 48 dead
- Alcalá 20 Nightclub fireAlcalá 20 nightclub fireThe Alcalá 20 nightclub fire occurred 17 December 1983 at 4:45 a.m. at Alcalá 20, a nightclub at number 20 of Calle de Alcalá in the centre of Madrid. 600 people were in the club at the time. 82 people were killed and 27 injured....
17 December 1983; Madrid, Spain; 82 dead - HappyLand fireHappy Land FireThe Happy Land fire was an arson fire that killed 87 people trapped in an unlicensed social club called "Happy Land" in the West Farms section of The Bronx, New York, on March 25, 1990. Most of the victims were young ethnic Hondurans celebrating Carnival...
25 March 1990; New York City, New York; 87 dead - Kheyvis Nightclub fireKheyvisKheyvis was a nightclub in Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. On 20 December 1993, a fire in the club caused the deaths of 17 teenagers in a graduation party for the La Salle College...
20 December 1993; Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina; 17 dead - Ozone Disco Club fireOzone Disco Club fireA fire at the Ozone Disco Club in Quezon City, Philippines broke out shortly after midnight, Philippine Standard Time, March 18, 1996 leaving at least 162 people dead...
18 March 1996; Quezon City, Philippines; 162 dead - Gothenburg Nightclub fireGothenburg nightclub fireThe Gothenburg discothèque fire was a fire with disastrous consequences that occurred on the night of October 29, 1998. The fire started on premises rented by an organization catering to the Macedonian community in Gothenburg, located on Hisingen island in Gothenburg, Sweden, where a discothèque...
29 October 1998; Gothenburg, Sweden; 63 dead - Luoyang Christmas fire2000 Luoyang Christmas fireThe 2000 Luoyang Christmas fire was a fire that occurred in Luoyang, People's Republic of China on Christmas Day in 2000.-Incident:...
25 December 2000; Luoyang, People's Republic of China; 309 dead - E2 Nightclub stampede2003 E2 nightclub stampedeThe E2 nightclub stampede occurred on February 17, 2003, at the E2 nightclub located above the Epitome Chicago restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, in which 21 people died and more than 50 were injured when panic ensued from the use of pepper spray by security guards to break up a fight...
17 February 2003; Chicago, Illinois; 21 dead - The Station Nightclub fireThe Station nightclub fireThe Station nightclub fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people. The fire began at 11:07 PM EST, on Thursday, February 20, 2003, at The Station, a glam metal and rock n roll themed nightclub located at 211 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick, Rhode Island.The...
20 February 2003; West Warwick, Rhode Island; 100 dead - Cro-magnon Republic Nightclub fireRepública Cromagnon nightclub fireRepública Cromañón was a nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina.On 30 December 2004, a fire broke out in the club, killing 194 people and injuring 714 others. The venue was playing host to rock group Callejeros and around 3,000 people were in attendance...
30 December 2004; Buenos Aires, Argentina; 194 dead - Wuwang Club fireWuwang Club fireThe Wuwang Club fire was a fire incident that occurred in Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China on September 21, 2008.-Incident:A fire broke out just before midnight on September 21 at the packed "King of the Dancers Club" according to an official with the Shenzhen Work Safety Bureau...
21 September 2008; Shenzhen, People's Republic of China; 43 dead - Bangkok Nightclub fire 1 January 2009; Watthana, Bangkok, Thailand; 61 dead
- Lame Horse club fire 5 December 2009; Perm, Russian Federation; 149 dead
External links
- BBC On this day Memorial
- BBC On this day Witness
- Guardian.co.uk