Leisure & Hotels

Case Studies That Shaped Fire Safety

Explore more than 100 historical fire incident case studies, examining how fires developed, the lessons learnt and their impact on fire safety and engineering.

From new legislation and regulation arising from serious fires of recent times to the historical lessons learnt from incidents in the past, here you can learn more about how these fires developed and, crucially, how those lessons learnt can help prevent recurrences.

1942

Cocoanut Grove fire

What happened at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub? On 28 November 1942, a small fire ignited inside the...

1903

Iroquois Theatre fire

What happened at the Iroquois theatre? On 30 December 1903, fire broke out at the Iroquois theatre...

2011

Forsyth Barr Building earthquake fire

What happened to the Forsyth Barr Building? On 22 February 2011 a small fire of relatively short du...

2003

The Station nightclub fire

What happened to The Station nightclub in Rhode Island? On 20 February 2003 a fire broke out in The...

1998

Gothenburg discothèque fire

What happened at the Gothenburg discothèque? The Gothenburg discothèque fire broke ou...

1990

Heliopolis Sheraton hotel fire

What happened at the Heliopolis Sheraton hotel in 1990? On 1 May 1990 a fire spread to the Heliopol...

1986

Dupont Plaza Hotel arson

What happened at the Dupont Plaza Hotel on New Year’s Eve 1986? On 31 Dec 1986 a fire broke o...

1985

Bradford City stadium fire

What happened at Bradford City FC’s Valley Parade in 1985? On 11 May 1985 a fire broke out in...

1984

Six Flags Great Adventure Haunted Castle Attraction fire

What happened to the Haunted Castle attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure? On 11 May 1984 a fire...

1981

Stardust nightclub fire

What happened at the Stardust nightclub, Dublin on Valentine’s Day 1981? In the early hours o...

1980

MGM Grand fire

What happened at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas in 1980? On 21 November 1980 a deadly fi...

1977

Beverly Hills Supper Club fire

What happened at the Beverly Hills Supper Club? On 28 May 1977 a fire broke out in the Beverly Hill...

1973

Summerland leisure centre disaster

What was the Summerland leisure centre disaster? On 2 August 1973 a fire spread quickly and undetec...

1969

Rose & Crown hotel fire

What happened to the Rose & Crown hotel, Saffron Walden? On 26 December 1969, a fire broke out...

1944

Hartford Circus fire

What happened at the Hartford circus, Connecticut? On a warm, sunny evening in July 1944 a Big Top...