Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire, 1942

Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire, 1942

On November 28th 1942, a deadly fire occurred at the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts, where 492 people perished. The club had a licensed capacity of 500 people, and on the night of the fire there were about 1000 people in the building. At about 10:15PM that evening, a busboy had been ordered to fix a light bulb, but needed to light a match to locate the light socket. Several patrons saw a flicker of a flame in the palm tree of the ceiling decorations. As other furnishings ignited, a fireball of flame and toxic gas raced across the room toward the stairs. The fireball traveled up the stairs and burst into the Foyer area, where coatrooms, restrooms and the main entrance were located. After a small number of people exited, the revolving door became jammed due to the crush of panicked patrons. Observers outside could only watch in horror as relatives and friends were crushed by the weight of the crowd surging against the jammed door. Burnt out interior of the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub.

Album / Science Source / New York Public Library

Model: No - Property: No
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3900 x 4061 px | 45.3 MB

33.0 x 34.4 cm | 13.0 x 13.5 in (300 dpi)