Courts / Dublin / Report
'Shower of sparks' seen coming from Stardust ceiling one week before blaze, inquest hears
Summary
During the inquest into the Stardust nightclub fire, witnesses testified that sparks were seen falling from the ceiling during concerts up to a month before the February 14, 1981 blaze. Patrick O'Driscoll, a member of an Elvis tribute band, described a single "shower of sparks" that he saw in the backstage area the week before the fire, noting the sparks were whitish with a yellowish tint and arced three to four feet. Suzanne McCluskey, who attended a January 15 concert, reported seeing purple sparks flash from the ceiling at intervals of one to two minutes for about ten minutes. The jury also heard from other witnesses about potential safety issues, including chained emergency doors and overcrowding, but the focus of this testimony was the repeated observation of sparks from the ceiling in the weeks leading up to the disaster.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Shower of sparks' seen coming from Stardust ceiling one week before blaze, inquest hears. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- February 14, 1981 Other
- January 15, 1981 Other
- August 29, 1980 Other
- September 4, 1980 Other
- 1979 and 1981 Other
- 2023-06-08 Publication
Why: Mr Woods said that in his report, he indicated "doors" because an inspector would not come out to look at one door. CNI source report
Places mentioned
- Rotunda Hospital
Topics
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