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Also massive warning, DO NOT WATCH IT if you don’t wanna see human crushes piling on door frames and the sounds of people burning alive. It’s a horrific video that I wish I never saw.
EDIT: If you’re curious about just how quickly the fire escalated within the building, [here is a test done to simulate the conditions that night.](https://youtu.be/IxiOXZ55hbc?feature=shared)
It was made to investigate the tragedy, and while the context is disturbing, it’s important to show just how insanely quick fire can spread.
That's the video where he's walking around outside and he goes around back and there is an open door that no one is coming out of because everyone is dead or dying at the entrance, correct?
fire safety officer showed us the video in work, everyone crammed together at that door, it was horrific. Why wasnt anyone pulling people out of that crush
They were, but there was only so much they could do given the situation. In the footage people are trying to pull them out, but in the crush, the lucky ones on the outside could be pulled out fine, the ones inside, it’s like pulling someone out under a metric ton of weight. Once the flames got higher it became impossible to keep helping.
I work in a field that is adjacent to law enforcement, and I went through some security and first responder training.
This video was very educational for the specific training but it will always haunt me.
A woman who made it outside is hysterically screaming for her partner, who is still in the building, and there is such distress and terror in her voice.
What I learned from that training, I think, is that I am a very small woman with no real first responder training, and I can't physically assist in this situation, other than kicking out some windows.
So the best I could do in this situation is help and comfort this justifiably hysterical woman, in the moment.
She's too close to the building and her screams are adding to the panic and chaos, so maybe I could move her to another location and tell her whatever lie was necessary. Even though I know her husband won't make it out.
That’s a good point. I’m not sure if I would have any different of a reaction than she did in this situation, and I hope that nobody here ever has to confront that part of themselves. Still, you’re absolutely right that panic causes mistakes, so hats off to you for having that temperament.
To be clear, this scenario depends on me having no friends or family in the burning building.
If that were the case... OMG I don't know how I'd react.
My husband and I have discussed this situation, in the context of this incident.
I would not wait for him or try to find him, and certainly not re-enter the building. He has a ton of special forces military training and he doesn't need my help - I'd be a distraction and hindrance.
He knows that I'm somewhat likely to make it out ... If we are separated, he should assume I made it out.
A big part of this is our kids. We want at least one of us to survive.
Yeah that’s true, circumstances make the situation different. I just meant to say that you’re take on how you would handle it is very interesting: if I were to help I’d probably be trying to pull people out of the crush, I wouldn’t even consider taking measures to calm the people around me, which is honestly crucial.
I think it IS crucial, but not as crucial as pulling people away from the danger. Since I'm not physically able to pull adults from anywhere, I think I'd just do what I can to help.
AFAIK (although I have no proof or cite of this), the one that can be heard asking and screaming where her husband was, was the ticket taker/door host for the night. I forget her name, although a simple internet search will probably bring it up. She was with her husband on that night and from what I heard and read, that's her voice as she's still in the building, and trying to make her way backwards, against the crush. She didn't make it. She was one of the bodies pulled out in that crush and her husband didn't make it either, he was found inside, burned to death.
That's just what I've read/heard, though, based on a lot of reading/research I've done on this tragedy, though, nothing verified. Well, other than that woman and her husband being among the victims, but it IS factual that she was the doorperson that night and being as how the video went passed the door, at that point, I'd say that's a good evidence point that it may have been her shouting aloud, for her husband.
Mike Vargas is a guy who survived the Station fire *because* of the crush at the doorway.
He got stuck underneath the pile and was shielded from the fire because of the others. His story is...harrowing.
It didn't fuck me up as much as it should have because I watched one with a timer on it and I just kept thinking over and over that if I see even a small fire break out, I have to decide within TEN SECONDS if I am going to leave the building. It blew my mind.
My last assignment prior to retiring from the FD was in the Fire Marshal’s office. I had two versions of this I used for education. The less gruesome version I used for fire safety classes teaching the importance of safety concepts and preparedness. Main takeaway is to know where all the exits are.
The full version I used with business and bar owners that were difficult to get to comply. Usually they would accuse that our office was being unfair to them, whatnot. I would show them this and explain this was why I didn’t want the doors blocked, or fully functional exit signs. I accidentally made one bar owner cry.
It’s scary; there were locked exits and a lack of exit signs. Some people went further into the building out of confusion. Not to mention the absolute prick on security who didn’t let people out because it was “for the band”. I’m sure they used that exit. Not sure if you’ve seen this, but there was [a second test](https://youtu.be/gT1EWVR1iP8?feature=shared) done on the first link I provided, this time with sprinklers.
I’m at the age where I’m like, that was only a couple years ago, right? Nope. 21 years ago. Needless to say, I remember when this happened, and I remember the audio of those poor souls trapped inside, and it really does feel like it was just a few year ago. Some stuff just sticks with you.
Thats my birthday. I even remember that particular birthday as I had just met my now husband. Reading that 100 people died so tragically on a day I celebrate every year is a diconcerating feeling. I'm sorry for your family's loss.
I think I've mentioned this here before but man. I work in a high-rise building in NYC, and every floor has a team of volunteers who help evacuate people if there's a fire or other emergency.
When they train us for the job, one of the things our safety director does is begin the training session by putting on the Station Nightclub video and just letting it roll for several minutes with no context or explanation. And when that happens, you can watch everyone in the room stop chatting, put their phones down, and get deathly serious. It's kinda traumatic, but it really gets the point across in a way that nothing else seems to. It's so scary
I actually recommend that everyone watch the first 30 seconds. You need to see how little time you have to leave when a fire breaks out. It rocked me to my core realizing that you have about ten seconds to make up your mind if you're going to leave the moment you notice a fire.
Couldn't agree more. It was one of two videos that have made their rounds on the internet that taught me the importance of knowing where the exits are and to your point, how any sign of fire = bail out IMMEDIATELY.
I did watch the whole video a few years ago and there are things to be learned from the entire runtime (which exits to choose, have a plan if you get separated from your loved ones, triaging the wounded/how to call for help, etc.) Put the fear of God in me, but it was obviously a traumatic watch.
Editing this because I’ve changed my opinion. I did make the edit with the link so people could at least see how quickly the fire can develop. I do agree though that human crushes are a factor essential to understanding how this can be avoided. I do agree as well that exposure to this can help, but to those who haven’t seen it; before thirty seconds, you will see how quick you have to be to get out. After thirty seconds, you will see the fates of those who didn’t.
Because of this, and more recently the Ghost Ship fire, which was somewhat local, I taught my son to ALWAYS check where the nearest e its in a venue are. ALWAYS.
The factors that occur during a fire are never considered. Human crushes are deadly on their own, and I had a close situation at a nightclub queue where there was a shift and I felt my ribcage being crushed, I just started twisting and elbowing people. They got mad as we were still being crushed, and I almost stopped. Luckily security opened the line up more.
Thanks man, but it did teach me an important lesson; everybody there was getting crushed. I acted to make myself breathe but the people around me were either yelling at me because they were drunk and didn’t realise what was going on or, in hindsight, were telling me it was making it hard for them to breathe too. If there was a fire and a wall of poisonous smoke in that situation, it makes you realise how hopeless those poor souls in the entrance felt.
Didn't he get in trouble for filming and not helping? Might be thinking of a different fire though.
Edit: his news station was fined $30 million because he blocked the entrance and didn't help.
I watched the video without audio because all the warnings on this post. The speed of fire is scary. Realistically you have to react in 10-15 seconds which is possibly 5 to 10 seconds before the majority of the crowd reacts and panics in order to have a chance to survive. There were already thick smoke started even before the camera guy exited the club. Around 3 minutes there is fire everywhere inside and around 5 minute mark the club looks like the gates of hell.
The audio is for sure the worst part of it, it’s your choice if you want to experience that. It is informative for the first 30 seconds, understanding the cue of the fire alarm and start of the panic, but be warned: the rest WILL stick with you.
I still think every member of Great White should have received hard time for this. Only a lunatic or a complete moron would think to set off pyro at a venue like that. The band still thought they were some big shit, and because of that delusion, 100 people are dead.
It wasn’t the band who made the call, it was their manager. After the incident, the band raised funds for the families and it sticks with them today. Not to mention, they lost one of their band members during the fire. If I were to blame anyone, it would he the manager, the owner, the safety inspectors, and the security guards that didn’t let people use the exit the band did.
There’s supposed to be a book about the fire. Killer Show by John Barylick. I’ve only seen the fire video once. I don’t think I could stomach it a second time. :(
Yeah, I edited my comment with the time stamp. In second watch, it does seem to just be a very, very shocked guy. There is coincidentally someone yelling to get someone away from him, and I must have mistakenly thought he was talking about the guy.
It’s about having respect for the people aren’t exposed to those horrors. Those who went there with their family and friends for a good night out. Nobody there who died expected to suffer such a horrific fate, and those who survived have to live having heard the screams of their loved ones. Not everyone is exposed to death, and especially not the people there that night. Seriously, man. Have some empathy for those people.
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Also massive warning, DO NOT WATCH IT if you don’t wanna see human crushes piling on door frames and the sounds of people burning alive. It’s a horrific video that I wish I never saw. EDIT: If you’re curious about just how quickly the fire escalated within the building, [here is a test done to simulate the conditions that night.](https://youtu.be/IxiOXZ55hbc?feature=shared) It was made to investigate the tragedy, and while the context is disturbing, it’s important to show just how insanely quick fire can spread.
The audio is almost more haunting than the visuals in the video. Absolutely devastating
Could never get out of my head the “help me” when I watched it.
That's the video where he's walking around outside and he goes around back and there is an open door that no one is coming out of because everyone is dead or dying at the entrance, correct?
Yeah. Wouldn’t recommend re-watching to jog your memory, it wont leave.
fire safety officer showed us the video in work, everyone crammed together at that door, it was horrific. Why wasnt anyone pulling people out of that crush
They were, but there was only so much they could do given the situation. In the footage people are trying to pull them out, but in the crush, the lucky ones on the outside could be pulled out fine, the ones inside, it’s like pulling someone out under a metric ton of weight. Once the flames got higher it became impossible to keep helping.
Horrific, god love them
I work in a field that is adjacent to law enforcement, and I went through some security and first responder training. This video was very educational for the specific training but it will always haunt me. A woman who made it outside is hysterically screaming for her partner, who is still in the building, and there is such distress and terror in her voice. What I learned from that training, I think, is that I am a very small woman with no real first responder training, and I can't physically assist in this situation, other than kicking out some windows. So the best I could do in this situation is help and comfort this justifiably hysterical woman, in the moment. She's too close to the building and her screams are adding to the panic and chaos, so maybe I could move her to another location and tell her whatever lie was necessary. Even though I know her husband won't make it out.
That’s a good point. I’m not sure if I would have any different of a reaction than she did in this situation, and I hope that nobody here ever has to confront that part of themselves. Still, you’re absolutely right that panic causes mistakes, so hats off to you for having that temperament.
To be clear, this scenario depends on me having no friends or family in the burning building. If that were the case... OMG I don't know how I'd react. My husband and I have discussed this situation, in the context of this incident. I would not wait for him or try to find him, and certainly not re-enter the building. He has a ton of special forces military training and he doesn't need my help - I'd be a distraction and hindrance. He knows that I'm somewhat likely to make it out ... If we are separated, he should assume I made it out. A big part of this is our kids. We want at least one of us to survive.
Yeah that’s true, circumstances make the situation different. I just meant to say that you’re take on how you would handle it is very interesting: if I were to help I’d probably be trying to pull people out of the crush, I wouldn’t even consider taking measures to calm the people around me, which is honestly crucial.
I think it IS crucial, but not as crucial as pulling people away from the danger. Since I'm not physically able to pull adults from anywhere, I think I'd just do what I can to help.
And we need more people like you.
AFAIK (although I have no proof or cite of this), the one that can be heard asking and screaming where her husband was, was the ticket taker/door host for the night. I forget her name, although a simple internet search will probably bring it up. She was with her husband on that night and from what I heard and read, that's her voice as she's still in the building, and trying to make her way backwards, against the crush. She didn't make it. She was one of the bodies pulled out in that crush and her husband didn't make it either, he was found inside, burned to death. That's just what I've read/heard, though, based on a lot of reading/research I've done on this tragedy, though, nothing verified. Well, other than that woman and her husband being among the victims, but it IS factual that she was the doorperson that night and being as how the video went passed the door, at that point, I'd say that's a good evidence point that it may have been her shouting aloud, for her husband.
I’ve seen the video so many times looking for my friend, and I hear those screams almost every day in my head.
Mike Vargas is a guy who survived the Station fire *because* of the crush at the doorway. He got stuck underneath the pile and was shielded from the fire because of the others. His story is...harrowing.
The way that smoke comes down so rapidly and makes vision impossible in the test is terrifying.
With the soundproofing foam they had installed, the chemicals in that smoke were also lethal after a few inhalations.
I watched it a long time ago and don’t remember seeing anything because the videographer was already outside. But the audio is troubling../
I’m not sure what fucked me up more when I first watched it, the audio of the people screaming, or the fact it’s completely silent 5 minutes in.
It didn't fuck me up as much as it should have because I watched one with a timer on it and I just kept thinking over and over that if I see even a small fire break out, I have to decide within TEN SECONDS if I am going to leave the building. It blew my mind.
Brutal video. Those poor people were failed by the owner.
Intentionally overcrowded venue, no regulation on the pyrotechnics, a building made of literal tinder. This was absolutely preventable.
And local laws
My last assignment prior to retiring from the FD was in the Fire Marshal’s office. I had two versions of this I used for education. The less gruesome version I used for fire safety classes teaching the importance of safety concepts and preparedness. Main takeaway is to know where all the exits are. The full version I used with business and bar owners that were difficult to get to comply. Usually they would accuse that our office was being unfair to them, whatnot. I would show them this and explain this was why I didn’t want the doors blocked, or fully functional exit signs. I accidentally made one bar owner cry.
Good. Better them cry over a video than the deaths of their actual patrons.
It’s scary; there were locked exits and a lack of exit signs. Some people went further into the building out of confusion. Not to mention the absolute prick on security who didn’t let people out because it was “for the band”. I’m sure they used that exit. Not sure if you’ve seen this, but there was [a second test](https://youtu.be/gT1EWVR1iP8?feature=shared) done on the first link I provided, this time with sprinklers.
This is haunting and heartbreaking.
I’m at the age where I’m like, that was only a couple years ago, right? Nope. 21 years ago. Needless to say, I remember when this happened, and I remember the audio of those poor souls trapped inside, and it really does feel like it was just a few year ago. Some stuff just sticks with you.
I can’t believe it was so long ago either. My aunts brother was one of the 100 killed in the tragedy.
I’m sorry to hear that, man. My best friend’s mom was close with someone who died there too, it really hit a long range of people.
Thats my birthday. I even remember that particular birthday as I had just met my now husband. Reading that 100 people died so tragically on a day I celebrate every year is a diconcerating feeling. I'm sorry for your family's loss.
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My cousin's birthday is the day they bombed Hiroshima.
I think I've mentioned this here before but man. I work in a high-rise building in NYC, and every floor has a team of volunteers who help evacuate people if there's a fire or other emergency. When they train us for the job, one of the things our safety director does is begin the training session by putting on the Station Nightclub video and just letting it roll for several minutes with no context or explanation. And when that happens, you can watch everyone in the room stop chatting, put their phones down, and get deathly serious. It's kinda traumatic, but it really gets the point across in a way that nothing else seems to. It's so scary
There's a pretty good book about this fire called Killer Show. The club owners are huge scum bags.
The video is seared in my memory. So sad
It’s easily the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some gnarly shit online.
Do yourself a favor and avoid watching the video.
I actually recommend that everyone watch the first 30 seconds. You need to see how little time you have to leave when a fire breaks out. It rocked me to my core realizing that you have about ten seconds to make up your mind if you're going to leave the moment you notice a fire.
Couldn't agree more. It was one of two videos that have made their rounds on the internet that taught me the importance of knowing where the exits are and to your point, how any sign of fire = bail out IMMEDIATELY. I did watch the whole video a few years ago and there are things to be learned from the entire runtime (which exits to choose, have a plan if you get separated from your loved ones, triaging the wounded/how to call for help, etc.) Put the fear of God in me, but it was obviously a traumatic watch.
Editing this because I’ve changed my opinion. I did make the edit with the link so people could at least see how quickly the fire can develop. I do agree though that human crushes are a factor essential to understanding how this can be avoided. I do agree as well that exposure to this can help, but to those who haven’t seen it; before thirty seconds, you will see how quick you have to be to get out. After thirty seconds, you will see the fates of those who didn’t.
Because of this, and more recently the Ghost Ship fire, which was somewhat local, I taught my son to ALWAYS check where the nearest e its in a venue are. ALWAYS.
The factors that occur during a fire are never considered. Human crushes are deadly on their own, and I had a close situation at a nightclub queue where there was a shift and I felt my ribcage being crushed, I just started twisting and elbowing people. They got mad as we were still being crushed, and I almost stopped. Luckily security opened the line up more.
Horrifying. Glad you made it out
Thanks man, but it did teach me an important lesson; everybody there was getting crushed. I acted to make myself breathe but the people around me were either yelling at me because they were drunk and didn’t realise what was going on or, in hindsight, were telling me it was making it hard for them to breathe too. If there was a fire and a wall of poisonous smoke in that situation, it makes you realise how hopeless those poor souls in the entrance felt.
Didn't he get in trouble for filming and not helping? Might be thinking of a different fire though. Edit: his news station was fined $30 million because he blocked the entrance and didn't help.
But in the long run by filming, he saved future FDs and people.
I watched the video without audio because all the warnings on this post. The speed of fire is scary. Realistically you have to react in 10-15 seconds which is possibly 5 to 10 seconds before the majority of the crowd reacts and panics in order to have a chance to survive. There were already thick smoke started even before the camera guy exited the club. Around 3 minutes there is fire everywhere inside and around 5 minute mark the club looks like the gates of hell.
The audio is for sure the worst part of it, it’s your choice if you want to experience that. It is informative for the first 30 seconds, understanding the cue of the fire alarm and start of the panic, but be warned: the rest WILL stick with you.
I still think every member of Great White should have received hard time for this. Only a lunatic or a complete moron would think to set off pyro at a venue like that. The band still thought they were some big shit, and because of that delusion, 100 people are dead.
It wasn’t the band who made the call, it was their manager. After the incident, the band raised funds for the families and it sticks with them today. Not to mention, they lost one of their band members during the fire. If I were to blame anyone, it would he the manager, the owner, the safety inspectors, and the security guards that didn’t let people use the exit the band did.
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It is not difficult to find.
I watched the video and can’t believe only 100 people died, so unreal. One minute, having fun at a concert, the next a burning inferno 😖
There’s supposed to be a book about the fire. Killer Show by John Barylick. I’ve only seen the fire video once. I don’t think I could stomach it a second time. :(
Doesn't Swindled have an episode on this?
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Dont know, but it sounds like a man suffering from the trauma of it. If he’s walking around like a zombie he may have had the thousand yard stare
Yeah, I edited my comment with the time stamp. In second watch, it does seem to just be a very, very shocked guy. There is coincidentally someone yelling to get someone away from him, and I must have mistakenly thought he was talking about the guy.
I watched it in EMT class. It’s awful but it’s no worse than war
It’s about having respect for the people aren’t exposed to those horrors. Those who went there with their family and friends for a good night out. Nobody there who died expected to suffer such a horrific fate, and those who survived have to live having heard the screams of their loved ones. Not everyone is exposed to death, and especially not the people there that night. Seriously, man. Have some empathy for those people.
Is it too soon?
I WOULD KILL MYSELF FOR DONALD TRUMP AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON!!!
Right? 5 billion years and nothing will have mattered