
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 28, 1990                   TAG: 9003280480
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: MORNING 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

87 DEAD FROM PARTY TO TRAGEDY

ONE MINUTE, 87 people are dancing, laughing, enjoying life. The next minute, they are dead. The tragic fire at New York's Happy Land Social Club shocks the sensibilities. Reports of people dying while they are out for an evening's entertainment are particularly disturbing. Some of the victims this past weekend were stricken on the dance floor; others were found clutching beer bottles.

Happy Land was one of some 750 social clubs in the city, and police have been ordered to inspect most of them for building-code violations. Happy Land, which attracted mainly Honduran and Dominican immigrants, lacked proper exits and other safeguards against fire. It had been ordered closed in November 1988 because of fire-code violations, but had reopened illegally. Early Sunday, the two front doors sucked in air to feed the fire. Bodies lay four deep by the only door upstairs, where the dance floor was.

The fire's death toll was the highest in the nation in 13 years. It was a grim reminder of the power wielded by an out-of-control fire. By the time firefighters arrived - three minutes after the call went in - the revelers' screams had stopped. Everyone inside was dead.

The former boyfriend of a club employee has been charged with arson and two counts of second-degree murder for each of the 87 victims. Because the Happy Land fire allegedly was set, operators of similar clubs across the country might see it as a special case. But rather than assume the tragedy won't be repeated, municipal building-officials ought to order measures to reduce the chance that it will. Many of these places are firetraps. Look what can happen.

by CNB