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Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, 1977

Bhopal Chemical Release

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Beverly Hills supper club fire in Southgate, KY, occurred May 28, 1977. Some 165 people perished and another seventy were injured. The fire, which is believed to have been electrical in origin, went undetected for a long time and had grown considerably before staff detected a problem. In the absence of any sprinkler or fire protection systems the fire soon expanded throughout the building via the corridors. There were no smoke alarms to alert others in the building of the approaching danger. Combustible interior finishes, the delay in detecting the fire owing to the absence of smoke detectors, and inadequate means of egress all contributed to the high number of fatalities. Most of the victims perished due to smoke inhalation. After this fire in 1977 public-assembly buildings holding 300 or more people were required to have automatic fire sprinklers.

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