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Whiskey Au Go Go fire
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Whiskey Au Go Go fire
The Whiskey Au Go Go fire was a fire that occurred at 2:08 am on Thursday 8 March 1973, in the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia that killed 15 people.
The Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub occupied the first floor of a building on the corner of Amelia Street and St Paul's Terrace. The space was previously occupied by another club called the Celebrity Cabaret which closed due to financial pressures. Seeing an opportunity, band manager John Hannay approached the Little brothers (Brian and Ken) and suggested they rent the vacant space for a new nightclub. They did so in March 1972 and named the new cabaret the Whiskey Au Go Go.
John Andrew Stuart, a career criminal, was sent to jail in 1966 for the attempted murder of fellow criminal Robert Steele. After his release from prison in New South Wales in July 1972, he returned to his hometown of Brisbane and immediately started vague rumors of criminals from Sydney wanting to extort nightclubs in Brisbane. He told this both to reporter Brian Bolton and Detective Basil Hicks. At the end of 1972, he gave specific intelligence to Bolton stating an empty club would be firebombed first and then a second, Whiskey Au Go Go, would be firebombed when it was full of people. Bolton wrote numerous newspaper articles and personally notified the police commissioner and police minister of the threat.
Stuart's warning was verified when an empty club, Torinos, was destroyed by arson on 25 February 1973.
The Whiskey Au Go Go was firebombed in the early hours of 8 March 1973 with fire begun by the ignition of two drums (four and five gallons) of petrol in the building's foyer. When ignited, the burning petrol sent carbon monoxide up to the club's main room on the first floor. The only escape route was the rear stairs which were poorly signposted and cluttered with crates of bottles. The club has been described as a deathtrap.
About 50 patrons, bar staff, and entertainers had been in the club at the time of ignition. Some escaped by jumping from broken windows onto an awning and dropping 4.5 metres (15 feet) to the ground. Others escaped via the windows in the men's and women's changing rooms.
Patrons had difficulty escaping due to the large quantities of grease that covered the escape path and the 1.8 metre (6 foot) high fence which blocked the side alley. The persistent rumors that the escape was deliberately greased by the arsonist(s) are untrue. The practice at the club was to place used cooking oil containers against the wall of the escape route. These were upended in the stampede and the fats spread by foot as the patrons fled.
The fire resulted in the deaths of 15 people. They had died of carbon monoxide poisoning and were dead before firefighters arrived. Of the six person band Trinity, two musicians were killed. Three staff members and ten patrons also lost their lives.[page needed]
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Whiskey Au Go Go fire
The Whiskey Au Go Go fire was a fire that occurred at 2:08 am on Thursday 8 March 1973, in the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia that killed 15 people.
The Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub occupied the first floor of a building on the corner of Amelia Street and St Paul's Terrace. The space was previously occupied by another club called the Celebrity Cabaret which closed due to financial pressures. Seeing an opportunity, band manager John Hannay approached the Little brothers (Brian and Ken) and suggested they rent the vacant space for a new nightclub. They did so in March 1972 and named the new cabaret the Whiskey Au Go Go.
John Andrew Stuart, a career criminal, was sent to jail in 1966 for the attempted murder of fellow criminal Robert Steele. After his release from prison in New South Wales in July 1972, he returned to his hometown of Brisbane and immediately started vague rumors of criminals from Sydney wanting to extort nightclubs in Brisbane. He told this both to reporter Brian Bolton and Detective Basil Hicks. At the end of 1972, he gave specific intelligence to Bolton stating an empty club would be firebombed first and then a second, Whiskey Au Go Go, would be firebombed when it was full of people. Bolton wrote numerous newspaper articles and personally notified the police commissioner and police minister of the threat.
Stuart's warning was verified when an empty club, Torinos, was destroyed by arson on 25 February 1973.
The Whiskey Au Go Go was firebombed in the early hours of 8 March 1973 with fire begun by the ignition of two drums (four and five gallons) of petrol in the building's foyer. When ignited, the burning petrol sent carbon monoxide up to the club's main room on the first floor. The only escape route was the rear stairs which were poorly signposted and cluttered with crates of bottles. The club has been described as a deathtrap.
About 50 patrons, bar staff, and entertainers had been in the club at the time of ignition. Some escaped by jumping from broken windows onto an awning and dropping 4.5 metres (15 feet) to the ground. Others escaped via the windows in the men's and women's changing rooms.
Patrons had difficulty escaping due to the large quantities of grease that covered the escape path and the 1.8 metre (6 foot) high fence which blocked the side alley. The persistent rumors that the escape was deliberately greased by the arsonist(s) are untrue. The practice at the club was to place used cooking oil containers against the wall of the escape route. These were upended in the stampede and the fats spread by foot as the patrons fled.
The fire resulted in the deaths of 15 people. They had died of carbon monoxide poisoning and were dead before firefighters arrived. Of the six person band Trinity, two musicians were killed. Three staff members and ten patrons also lost their lives.[page needed]