19 Dead In British Social Club Fire
(Hec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, May 2. Screaming girls plunged four storeys to their deaths last night when fire swept through a social and dance club in Bolton, Ijmcashire. At least 19 persons died, and one newspaper put the death toll at 22.
Fifteen were burned to death in a club on the fourth 1 floor of a warehouse build- ; ing. newspapers reported Four died when they leaped : from windows to a river 80 I feet below. Four others tumped, and I lived . Some are feared drowned in the five-foot deep River , Croat At least eight of the , dead are women. I Police worked throughout , the night to indentify victims , Meeting Of Club i Flames swept through the building just before midnigh* I as members of the "ton storey club" —most of them youths and girls—met tor their “record night.” Within minutes the bar and < dance hall were ablaze, the ■ staircase collapsed, and those 1 in the club were trapped Thev could be seen, i silhouetted against the flames on window ledges. Then, they hurtled, screaming, into the I river Some hit the river, ' and some landed on cobble stones After nearly two hours and ' a half firemen battled their way into the building The stairs were an inferno.” said one fireman There were about 20 people < in the club Police believe only one man eot out unhurt 1 He was last seen staggering away down the street sob- 1 bins
A West Indian doorman. Pedro Gonzales, said: "Everyone was having a good time. The pianist had just finished a selection from one of the big shows. The applause had just finished when I heard him shout Warning Given ”1 strolled over to the door . . and I smelled smoke. I went down one Sight of stairs and as I turned the landing I saw a glow coming from another door. “In a few seconds that happy room became hell. Everyone was fighting, shouting and screaming “I shouted as loud as I could for everyone to get out The flames suddenly leaped up the stairs at a terrific pace. I half fell, half ran through them and found myself outside the door on the ground floor. "There was nothing but flames above I ran round to the side of the building. Then the windows started break, mg and people began to fall down towards me. “1 waded into the river up to my knees and pulled out two girls and a man. They were terribly burned A man died in my arms." It was Britain's worst fire disaster since March, 1959. when 19 firemen and salvage corps men died in a whiskywarehouse blaze in Glasgow.
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Press, Volume C, Issue 29503, 3 May 1961, Page 15
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45019 Dead In British Social Club Fire Press, Volume C, Issue 29503, 3 May 1961, Page 15
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