Blast from the past

The fire quickly spread after starting in a disused plastic kiosk and engulfing flammable materials.

PHOTO: NOEL HOWARTH, THE SUN, UK

A lack of disciplined evacuation and locked fire exits contributed to the significant death and injur y toll.

SUMME RL AND LEISURE CE NTRE FIRE , ISLE OF MAN —1973

BY BARRY LEE OAM

ummerland was an unsprinklered leisure centre in

SDouglas, on the Isle of Man, that opened in 1971. A climate-controlled building occupying 1.4 hectares on the Douglas waterfront, it had a floor space of 4,600 square metres and cost £2m. Designed to accommodate up to 10,000 tourists, it included a solarium, an indoor heated pool, saunas, restaurants and bars, a children’s theatre and an underground disco.

Extensive flammable surfaces were incorporated in the multi-level structure and were major factors in the fire disaster. The roof and much of the wall area consisted of large panes of Oroglas® (methyl methacr ylate). Abutting the Oroglas® and stretching upwards from an amusement arcade to the top of the building was a wall of Galbestos cladding (steel sheeting surfaced on both sides with resin). There was a cavity 0.3 metres wide and 12 m long between the steel sheet outer wall of the amusement arcade and a Decalin (fibreboard) inner wall.

At about 8.00 pm on 2 August 1973, with 3,000 people in the centre and a concert in progress in the solarium, fire and smoke were seen at the far (closed) end of the amusement arcade. Caused by children smoking in a disused external plastic ticket kiosk, the fire ignited the external wall of the centre and spread rapidly along the length of the amusement arcade, quickly involving the upper levels, the Oroglas® wall and the whole of the wall and roof.

Fifty occupants—men, women and children—perished in the blaze and a further 80 were seriously injured. There was no disciplined evacuation procedure. The main electricity was switched off prematurely, plunging the building into complete darkness. Many died on an open stair way attempting to escape from upper levels; it was fully exposed to flames that issued from the open end of the amusement arcade. Stair way congestion was compounded by some parents tr ying to rush upstairs to locate children in upper level play areas. A number of fire exits were locked. This further impeded prompt evacuation, adding to the general confusion and, almost certainly, to the toll of injuries.

The centre was subsequently demolished, rebuilt on a smaller scale, and reopened in 1978. It closed in 2004 and final demolition commenced a year later.

POLY(METHYL METHACRYL ATE) PMMA

A lightweight, or shatter-resistant, alternative to glass. Trade names include Oroglas, Lucite, Perspex and Acr ylite.

Chemical formula: C H O5 8 2.

Density : 1.18 g/cc. Melting point: 180°C. Ignition temperature: 460°C.