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Fire in the Grove Courtney Burrows, Erin Moller, Amy Blake, Leah Boehman What Happened/ When?  Saturday, November 28Th, 1942

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Fire in the Grove Courtney Burrows, Erin Moller, Amy Blake, Leah Boehman What Happened/ When?  Saturday, November 28Th, 1942 Fire in the Grove Courtney Burrows, Erin Moller, Amy Blake, Leah Boehman What happened/ When? Saturday, November 28th, 1942. Boston, Massachusetts Cocoanut Grove Club An imitation palm tree caught fire in the club; within eight minutes it swept through the entire club killing half the people there (492) o Began in the basement and rose up through the building o People panicked and made escape impossible in some cases by packing up against doors. Crowds also trampled and knocked over many people, stopping them from escaping. o It took all of five minutes for the flames to spread from the basement, up the stairs, through the hallway to the main clubroom o The exact count is unknown, but it’s estimated that more than 1000 people were crowded inside and around the club including Thanksgiving travellers, servicemen and their girlfriends, football fans, and people that just wanted to celebrate or party. Why? Who/what led to the disaster? Greed and indifference of the owners and politicians in charge of operating the club - knowingly allowed dangerous circumstances o Barnett [Barney] Welansky (club owner), James Welansky ( Barney’s brother), and Jacob Goldfine (manager on duty that night) were all charged with manslaughter but only Barney was fined and given prison time (solitary confinement). o Technically the Grove did not have a liquor license, so the alcohol added to the panic of the situation o Welansky installed seats and tables right where the fusible exit doors should have been, and installed a coat room over an EXIT sign Physical Causes o side doors opened inwards, but they were bolted shut to prevent people from leaving the club without paying for their drinks o main way in or out of the club was one revolving door o draperies on the ceiling which covered exit signs o flammable furniture o flammable wall decorations o Legal capacity allowed inside the building was DOUBLED Problems/successes of response? Problems o Water and fire hoses became an ineffective tool in putting out the fire since the temperature was dropping as the night went on o Water on the street outside froze on the ground, as did the fire hoses. Successes o The mock Luftwaffe attack happened right before the Grove fire, so the fire department and hospitals were prepared. o Led to major changes in the treatment and rehabilitation of burn victims- skin grafting, PTSD o Newspaper trucks became makeshift ambulances Changes resulting from event? (if any...none)? This disaster is known for how it changed rules and regulations o New rules about building codes (no revolving doors unless accompanied by outward facing doors) This event was the first major use of the Massachusetts General Hospital’s new blood bank Survivors were among the first people to be treated with penicillin; as a result of its success in preventing infections for the burn victims, the U.S. government supported its production and distribution to the armed forces A Boston psychiatrist began researching post-traumatic stress disorder after speaking with some of the families and relatives of those involved with the fire Impact on lives or property at the time? Physical, psychological, individual, business, government? People were forced to make the almost impossible decision of “do I save myself, or do I try to save my loved ones as well” despite the fact that they may already be dead. (Psychological) 80% of the Cocoanut Grove was burned to the ground Legal response? Barney Welansky charged with 19 counts of manslaughter Massachusetts and several other states enacted laws for public establishments banning flammable decorations and requiring that exit signs remain visible at times and that they have an independent source of electricity o It was further ruled that no emergency exits could be chained or bolted shut in such a way that not one person could use them as a means of escaping during a panic/emergency situation There were three separate sets of investigations done. The first was started by the Boston Police Department to determine if there were any criminal connections to the fire. o The second was ordered by the Mayor (Maurice J. Tobin) in order to find out whether there was negligence on the part of the Boston Fire Department, and to find out what caused the fire. o The third inquest began by Massachusetts Attorney General Robert T. Bushnell and Boston District Attorney William J. Foley to figure out who was ultimately responsible for the fire. These sets of interviews were closed to the public and the press. supplemental material : http://www.cocoanutgrovefire.org/home/legal It is remembered as the second deadliest American single-building fire (1st is Iroquois Theatre Fire) Municipal licensing authorities ruled that no Boston establishment could be called “The Cocoanut Grove”. Role of the media (precisely defined) Temporarily beat WWII coverage for the front page Boston papers were filled with lists of the deceased and stories of near escapes Some stories claimed that Hollywood Star Buck Jones escaped the blaze only to rush back in to help others, but it was later revealed that he had been incapacitated in his seat and died quickly during the fire. Book: Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath Who is the author? John C. Esposito How much has been written on the topic? Several other books have been written about the Cocoanut Grove fire. Books such as The Cocoanut Grove Fire by Stephanie Schorow and Cocoanut Grove by Edward Keyes. When and why was it written/published? First published October 9th, 2005. Where does the book fit into the literature? Supplemental Link: http://www.cocoanutgrovefire.org/home/documentation/codes-and- standards .
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