1. Valentine’s Day 1981 in Artane, Dublin
48 people where killed
About 200 injured

2. Design and Layout  
Split in to three parts:
West Alcove
That inclines with rows of seating
Lowest point 2.4m
Ballroom (North Alcove) – pictured
dimensions of 17m X 10m
The Lantern Room

3. Cause and Origins  
Two theories:
Electrical spark in the Lantern room next to a combustible liquid source.
Judge threw this out due to lack of evidence.
Cigarette to the seat in the West Alcove
From combustible seats to combustible wall tiles

4. Growth, The Consequence, and Fire spread Mechanisms
The roller blind closes off the West Alcove
When this happened the fire moved rapidly up the wall
Roof caught fire and collapsed
Eventually the entire place when up in flames
The seats and wall liners were made of combustible materials
Low ceilings
Caused a downward draft
Spontaneous combustion on the tables below in Ballroom (North Alcove)

5. Deficiencies in the building/structure fire protection features
Combustible Material
The wall lining interior and in the entrance
violated the specifications required by the Fire Safety Department
The decision to apply them was made solely by the owner, Eamon Butterly
The Fire Research Station carried out a full-scale demonstration of the fire's development,
Walls made of timber
Were not originally in blue prints.
firemen were facing walls that did not exist.
The wood made a layer of char.
helping to protect the strength and structural integrity of the wood inside.

6. Fire drills were never held Employees had no experience
There was no immediate announcement to the patrons in the event of an emergency;
It was left to the DJ to make the announcement.
Partygoers stood and watched the development of the fire in shock
this could have been achieved by the employment of additional doormen.
Exit doors were locked
This was in breach of the bylaws
Caused bottleneck of extreme congestion
In door that were open
One of the exits was locked and chained
Two were obstructed by boxes or by seats.
The decision to keep the exits locked and chained
Eamon Butterly
to prevent unauthorized persons

7. Fire service response
The Stardust was located about 15 minutes from the city center on Kilmore Road on the north side of Artane, Dublin.
The fire was first noticed inside the building at 1:41 am on the morning of Valentine's Day while the club was still full.
Fire Brigade was made at 1.43 am.
At 1.43 am
all the lights went out including the exit signs;
The hall became full of thick black smoke
At 1.51 am, five units of the Dublin Fire Brigade arrived along with two ambulances.
The firemen had lack of knowledge of the surrounding area.
They were unable to find fire hydrants
At 2.20 am, the flames are extinguished but smoke still came from the building.
At 3.00 am, rescuers helped all the living out of the building.

8. The work of retrieving the bodies began and continued till Saturday.
Due to the high number of deaths, the city morgue became at full capacity; as a result, the Army personnel had to assemble tents to provide for the high number of fatalities.

9. Effect on the structure
The tremendous fire had a major effect on the structure. The entire building was burned down. The photograph below shows the extent of the damage made to the building.

10. Possible reinstatement of the building
The site was left as a memorial location for families to mourn their children
25 years later
They tried to create a new club.
the Silver Swan pub.
Many people criticized this action and claimed that it was insensitive considering this was the site where young souls lost their lives.

11. Lessons to be Learned
There are many lessons to be learned from this tragic incident that will help save more lives in the future
Have an evacuation plan in case of an emergency
Have multiple exits for escape that are not obstructed or locked
Follow fire safety specifications in design of building
Have accessible fire extinguishers
Employ heat/smoke detectors
Do not exceed the maximum capacity of the club
Train employees to handle emergency incidents
Fire department should make routine inspections to approve conditions

12. Conclusion
The catastrophic event of 1981 changed many people’s views toward fire safety and precaution in Dublin.
After the death of 48 young adults
many more people are going to take fire safety precautions more seriously.
The lack of experience
Had there been more emphasis on fire safety in that community, more of these individuals would have been alive today.

13. Questions??