Amanda Ripley Author of The Unthinkable

scott zeilenga said on October 31, 2008 at 2:26 pm

Very cool.  Well, actually not, but interesting nonetheless. I just finished that section of your book and found it really interesting. Actually, that story made me look at the fire safety at my own job and evaluate its effectiveness.
Thanks for the update.

z.

Glenn Corbett said on November 01, 2008 at 8:54 pm

Here’s an update to the stories above - Kentucky Governor Beshear has agreed to forming a legal panel to look at the “Beverly Hills Supper Club Survivors for Justice” critique of the fire investigations conducted in 1977 (and civil litigation thereafter). This article was publsihed by the New York Times.

Amanda, I’ll update this blog when new things develop.

Panel to Review Arson Claims in Deadly 1977 Kentucky Fire

By STACY L. NEITZEL
Published: October 28, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — More than three decades after a fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Ky., killed 165 people, Gov. Steve Beshear appointed a panel on Tuesday to review assertions that arson may have been to blame.

Initial reports concluded that faulty aluminum wiring was the cause of the blaze, which also injured 200 people.

Fire officials said that crowding, lack of sprinklers and poorly marked exit signs contributed to the death toll. In addition, the building did not meet fire safety standards or code requirements.

But rumors of arson and survivor accounts of workers in the ceiling near where the fire started have persisted since the blaze, on May 28, 1977. Some survivors have said investigators dismissed their accounts.

This month, more than 20 fire experts from across the country met to review the case files.

Members of Mr. Beshear’s administration met recently with a group of survivors who submitted a report outlining their concerns about the possibility of arson, said Jay Blanton, a spokesman for the governor.

One member of the governor’s panel, Cecil Dunn, was the special prosecutor in the case. No criminal charges were ever filed.

The two others on the panel are William H. Fortune and Robert G. Lawson, both University of Kentucky law professors.

They will review the survivors’ report and share their findings with the governor’s office over the next several weeks, Mr. Blanton said.

The three panel members have intimate knowledge of the case and will act as a set of “independent eyes,” Mr. Blanton said.

Dave Brock of Florence, Ky., who was an 18-year-old busboy at the time of the fire and has been pushing for a new investigation, said he was pleased by the governor’s action. “I think it’s the best thing they could do,” Mr. Brock said.

The fire is the third-deadliest nightclub fire in United States history; the deadliest was the Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston in 1942, which killed 492 people.

Glenn Corbett said on November 17, 2008 at 2:34 am

Here is an update.....

Glenn Corbett said on November 17, 2008 at 2:35 am

http://www.fox19.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3122749&h1=Beverly Hills fire reinvestigation request updated&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=127500&LaunchPageAdTag=Search Results&activePane=info&rnd=65643436

Todd McKee said on July 03, 2009 at 12:22 am

I am interested with how many of the fire “experts” were called to be interviewed for the re-investigation?

Alexandria Egypt Hotels said on July 30, 2009 at 6:39 am

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All kit said on September 12, 2009 at 12:48 am

Here some information im putting,

A wedding reception in the Zebra Room had ended at 8:30 p.m. Some guests complained that the room was becoming overheated, though no smoke was in evidence yet. The doors of the Zebra Room were closed after the reception ended, and the fire continued to smolder undetected for another 25 minutes. Two waitresses, looking for tray jacks, entered the Zebra Room at about 8:56 p.m. They saw dense smoke hanging near the ceiling and notified management immediately. A phone call was placed to the fire department at 9:01 p.m., and the first fire engine arrived in only three minutes, as it happened to be in the area of the club at the time of the call. Meanwhile, the management used two fire extinguishers inside the Zebra Room, but to little effect. The fire had taken hold and could no longer be contained inside the room. The flames spread so rapidly, a full evacuation of the sprawling, crowded building was not possible. A lack of a sprinkler system and audible automatic fire alarms added to the dangerous conditions. These basic safety standards were required by law, but had not been installed and the local volunteer fire department had not forced correction of the deficiencies…

Thanks!

Fire science technology said on September 12, 2009 at 12:54 am

Hello guys!

A wedding reception in the Zebra Room had ended at 8:30 p.m. Some guests complained that the room was becoming overheated, though no smoke was in evidence yet. The doors of the Zebra Room were closed after the reception ended, and the fire continued to smolder undetected for another 25 minutes. Two waitresses, looking for tray jacks, entered the Zebra Room at about 8:56 p.m. They saw dense smoke hanging near the ceiling and notified management immediately. A phone call was placed to the fire department at 9:01 p.m., and the first fire engine arrived in only three minutes, as it happened to be in the area of the club at the time of the call. Meanwhile, the management used two fire extinguishers inside the Zebra Room, but to little effect. The fire had taken hold and could no longer be contained inside the room. The flames spread so rapidly, a full evacuation of the sprawling, crowded building was not possible. A lack of a sprinkler system and audible automatic fire alarms added to the dangerous conditions. These basic safety standards were required by law, but had not been installed and the local volunteer fire department had not forced correction of the deficiencies.

As the fire erupted at the front of the club, the comedy team of Teter and McDonald were performing on stage down the corridor in the Cabaret Room. Singer/actor John Davidson, the scheduled headliner, was in the dressing room preparing for his show. A teenage busboy named Walter Bailey, who had witnessed the onset of the fire, raced down the long hallway to the rear of the building. As he made his way along the corridor, he shouted warnings into the various bars and rooms that he passed. Inside the Cabaret Room, he took the initiative to grab a microphone from the comedians on stage and alert the audience to begin evacuation. He pointed out the exits and urged them to move quickly but without panic. Many patrons immediately began to heed instructions, but many others apparently hesitated because they thought the fire warning was part of the comedy act. At this time there was no hint of smoke or danger in the Cabaret Room. The comedians attempted to calm people by suggesting that the show would continue once the fire was extinguished.

Only two minutes after Walter Bailey’s warning, the fire burst its way along the corridor and exploded into the Cabaret Room with a fireball. Thick smoke simultaneously filled the building’s ventilation system, making it difficult to see and breathe. Full scale panic ensued at this point, with some in the crowd jumping from table to table and many becoming entangled at blocked exits. Screaming patrons, some of whom were on fire, ran in different directions. Lights throughout the complex failed, adding to the panic. Later, at one of the tables, the bodies of six patrons would be found still sitting upright in their seats. Bodies were heaped in piles at either side of the stage. The majority of the deaths would be blamed on poorly marked exits, flammable carpeting, and seat cushions that emitted toxic fumes when burned.

Very interesting article.Im putting some good information.Keep up the good work..

Christian Anthe said on February 03, 2010 at 1:49 pm

Upcoming Event: May 15, 2010, Northern Kentucky University - Chase Law School - probably an all-day event.  Among others, a 911 NYC Investigator with high credentials will be examining for his first time recent and previously unreleased color photos of the Zebra Room and other areas of the club, to help determine if arson was the main cause of the fire.  The public is invited.

Barb said on June 13, 2010 at 11:02 pm

Hello, I was one of the musicians there that night, and for some reason, after all these years I looked this up online.  Just started reading here.
One thing I just read somewhere online was that in the Cabaret Room people did not respond, but they most certainly did.  I remember exactly what the busboy said.  He first said people on this side on please exit and he pointed out the exit in the front of the room, then he said the same thing to the other half of the room, pointing out the exit sign on that side.  The one exit was out through the kitchen and people got stuck.  I was onstage and got up and left.  People were streaming out at a steady rate, but no more than a few minutes later, flames burst out the door as people were coming out, yet there was no smoke that I could tell just minutes prior.  There were just too many people in that room and the flashover had to have been really fast.  Barb

Chrisitan Anthe said on June 14, 2010 at 12:05 pm

This is a perfect example of excellerant used on the walls of the North/South Cooridor that lead from the Zebra Room to the Cabaret Room.  I am glad you feel people weren’t just milling around for the show to continue, as I have heard.

Barb said on June 14, 2010 at 12:31 pm

Christian, I don’t feel people weren’t just milling around, I’m telling you, we (the musicians) watched that door as people streamed, non-stop out of it.  If anyone was milling it would have been because they weren’t concerned and were waiting their turn to get to the door.  However, I find it hard to believe that anyone who stayed long enough to watch people “milling around” actually got out of there alive.  Who the heck gave that report anyway?  There were only two exits from that room, unless you went out into the rest of the building.  The one exit to the right of the stage as you were facing it, went through the dressing room and out a side door, a direct exit.  Musicians were killed because they stopped to put their instruments away.  We were the closest to the exit.  How long does it take to put a violin away?  My case was on the bench outside of the dressing room, so I grabbed it and kept going, we were helped out of the door and down the stairs and encouraged not to panic.  I took my shoes off to go faster, again, no smoke, nothing at that point, only minutes later (and I wrote down right afterwards how long, have to go back and see) there was smoke and then fire blasting out of there.  The other side of the room, there was an exit, but it was through the kitchen.  There was a young waiter?  bartender? who we’d get a cup of coffee from during the break.  One news report was all about how he lost his life directing people out of the other exit which was through the kitchen.  There was an exit sign on that left side, but apparently it was not a direct route.  So, the time frame from when the busboy got in there and announced we should leave, at which time we stood up immediately and began moving, as did the audience, and when the fire blasted out that door (just a regular size door, small steps down to the ground) the time frame was short.  The reports said at the point the fire was announced in that room, it had already been going for some time and other rooms had been vacated, and that apparently no one realized that it would spread quickly through the ceiling, because the bus boy acted on his own to make the announcement.  Are all those newspaper accounts still online somewhere?  Does anyone want copies?

Todd McKee said on June 14, 2010 at 5:37 pm

Barb:  Thank you for the post! I would love to talk to you more about this, my number is 740 507 8802.  I have factual information for you about that night that you may be interested in.  You can also email me at .  There are several new details that most do not know regarding the fire and if you have time we could talk about it.  Your friend, Todd McKee

Christian Anthe said on June 15, 2010 at 12:28 pm

Walter Bailey is the busboy who made the announcement.  He was here locally a few weeks ago, attending a symposium at N.K.U. on Beverly Hills arson theory, although he remains neutral on the subject.  The busboy who lost his life helping others I thought was a waiter, but his tip tray is in the Ft. Thomas Military and Community museum now (small rectangular white tray) that was unearthed recently.  If you live locally in KY or Cincinnati area, you can visit this museum, curator’s # is 859-760-3890, Debbie B., call for hours.  They have a lot of memorabilia from Beverly Hills Supper Club.  There is a monument over looking I-471 as well, which can best be viewed when driving South on I-471, toward NKY from Downtown Cincinnati.  It’s viewable to the left, up on the hill just passed the Ft. Thomas-Southgate exit.  The BHSC site is unfortunately “off-limits” to the public for liability reasons, I presume.  There is not a KY State Historical Marker describing in brief, the night of the fire on Alexandria Pike 27, and very little of the property has been developed, mostly forest now, with some remnants around.  Walter Bailey (busboy on stage) is a very nice intelligent man and very sensitive.  He is just as much of a good person now as he was then.  He lives in the South.

Regarding the fire, most evidence points toward arson, yet witnesses are passing, unable to be located, do not wish to get involved, etc. and is most difficult to prove.  I would go ahead and speak with Todd McKee, and is a trusted source. 

Thank you for sharing that very detailed account.  If you wish, why don’t you suggest to Debbie B. at Ft. Thomas Museum that the students at N.K.U. create a story board (large poster with your story on it) and include any 1977 photos you may have of yourself with your instrument.  I am almost certain they would include your story in the museum.  They have a large rack with folding frames that have various persons’ recollections, including doctors there that night.

anonymous said on June 15, 2010 at 1:12 pm

“Nothing happens unexpectedly, everything has an indication,
we just have to observe the connections.”

Barb said on June 15, 2010 at 1:17 pm

Thanks Christian, I’m no longer in the area, but I’m going to keep this info and be sure to stop in if I am ever within even a couple hours of Cinci.  I feel like my story is a non-story.  I entered and exited through the stage door, saw nothing, and not until now have I ever really realized, I was 2 minutes away from a fiery death.  The way Walter Bailey made that announcement, I knew immediately something was really wrong.  He was being really clear about where the exits were, THEN telling people to leave.  Seemed like an indication that there was some reason to panic and we should not do so.  And you are probably correct that it was a waiter who lost his life.  I only knew him from him bartending behind a small bar which was to the left of the stage kind of in toward what I thought was a kitchen, but it doesn’t show it as a kitchen on the maps.

I guess now I am wondering, how did that event affect people in ways that they might not even know?  I mean, somewhere, inside, each of us who got out must carry that knowledge that at least at one moment in time we were just a flash away from eternity.  And as I’ve done a search on this, and found out about the firefighter who got in and got out with at least one woman on fire, I want to know more, like if the fireball went through the Cabaret room, didn’t it ignite the whole room?  So there were people still in there alive?  i didn’t know that.  Anyway, I’m not surprised that people arent’ interested in reviving an investigation.  Even if it was arson, after 30+ years, and underworld driven, unless someone comes forward and confesses, where would you ever get enough evidence?

I’m more interested in what happened to the survivors, and the other musicians too.  Cannot even remember names.  Have all of that somewhere in old papers, probably complete with silver fish.....  Barb

christian anthe said on June 16, 2010 at 1:39 am

Volunteer firefighter, Bruce Rath, of Ft. Thomas, KY, my hometown as well, was the one you mentioned saving the life of patron, Karen Prugh of Dayton, OH.  She was on fire and hysterically leaped over a pile of bodies in the wrong direction trying to get out.  Bruce put the fire out on her dress and pulled her with rope outside, barely saving both his own and her lives.  She was pronounced deceased in a short period and Bruce spent 35 minutes performing CPR on her before regained consciousness.  She now lives in FL and Bruce passed away from cancer last May, 2009.  He never stopped talking about the arson for 32 years!  His son went to Highlands Highschool in Ft Thomas, and is now a volunteer firefighter just like his heroic dad.  I meet him on May 15 this year and he knows the whole story, which is a lot.  Jim Gracey told me as they exited the southeast door of the Cabaret Room, same door you exited from, that he saw a lot of people just milling around and didn’t seem too concerned.  Stories vary, of course.

Christian Anthe said on June 16, 2010 at 2:10 am

Cont.  Aside from patrons Post Trauma and therapy, the real lesson is to sit near the exits in a crowded room.  This changed the world on code revisions, overcrowding enforcements, etc.  The investigations in Oct 2008 were not handled well.  One purported arsonist just passed a month or so ago.  (The other lives locally in OH.) I doubt these mafia-hired arsonists would ever confess, honestly.  I doubt the State will assume responsibility.  I think this is a story worthy of a movie, like Titanic, with epic proportions, yet to be realized.  You know the building was razed before any investigation could be performed and the basement had all the rigging evidence.  These items disappeared when an influential lawyer got involved.  No names to be mentioned, yet a lot of money was made and kept, as the rumors go, very little was disbursed to the families.

A wonderer said on June 16, 2010 at 11:15 am

Anthe- May I ask what type of experience or expert you are?  It make me wonder when you are throwing out names and locations of people.  You say that there are people that burnt it down and one is dead and one is in Ohio. I hope yo can back it up!

Christian Anthe said on June 16, 2010 at 12:26 pm

This has been documented.  There is no question about the arson, yet it has not been proven in a court of law, if that is what you are asking.  I believe my exact comment above, if you would read, I said “purported arsonists”.  There was never an arson investigation conducted on the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire.  I am a local and know more than most.

Christian Anthe said on June 16, 2010 at 12:30 pm

Cont.  33 fires were set locally (some proven, some rumored) by the mafia (probably the Mayfield Ave. mob, branch of the Cleveland Syndicate, who ran Newport’s illicit gambling for decades.  They are no longer active.  They had a particularly revengeful streak, especially when it came to “turf wars” on gambling areas.  The two that were purportedly hired to burn the club in 1977 are suspected, not proven.  Other names have surfaced as well.  I did not mention and will not mention their names, as I was not an employee of the club, yet know those who were.  I have interviewed people in their 80’s who sold the Schilling land to build casinos...there are a lot of untold stories.  I guess it’s what you consider “evidence”.  What I can say is people seem to be dropping off like flies and the BHSC story is disappearing fast.  I am honored to know what I know.  I do know Aluminum wiring was NOT the cause of the fire.

Matthew Sorrell said on August 16, 2010 at 10:53 pm

I’m Curious! Is there any video or audio archives from that night? I’m currently reading the book written by Ron Eliott and Wayne Dammert: Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire. I’ve also found some audio from Wkrc but that’s about it. I’m totally blind, so the book is actually being read to me. Any audio will help. The reason I’m looking is not just curiosity. In fact, due to not being able to physically see photos, this is my way of learning about that night aside from the book. I was only 2 weeks old in 77 and was still in the hospital in Ft Thomas on the night of the fire. My Mom and Dad have talked about it over the years. Today, after a Doctors appointment in Highland Hights, I had Mom to drive me bye the site. I said a silent prayer for all who lost someone, and the souls who were lost. I’m not sure why the fire is on my mind here lately, but it is. Perhaps it’s because I’m a member of a fire dept in northern Kentucky as communications officer, or because an event as tragic as this happened right here in our area. Thanks:
Matt

Christian Anthe said on August 17, 2010 at 9:17 am

If you can get this to load, try this video clip from WCPO, Channel 9 news, Cincinnati, OH from a couple years ago:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsCTBHn2KIc
Here is another from CET education station in Cincinnati: http://www.cetconnect.org/MediaPlayer.aspx?vid=1388
Here is a 3rd link: http://firedaily.com/2010/07/firefighter-storytellers-wednesday-night-my-dad-was-a-chief-at-the-beverly-hills-supper-club-fire/

Christian Anthe said on August 17, 2010 at 10:23 am

Matt:  I was about 8 when it happened and remember a few things.  It is a very touchy subject with the actual survivors and not something you would want to casually bring up without expecting some bad emotions.  What I can tell you is it being looked at by a some experts concerning arson.  167 fatalities occured (if you count the two unborn babies who also perished), not counting the countless injures and permanent lung damage.  Chiefly it was the cause of insufficient exits and panic that caused most of the deaths.  By the time the firemen, emergical medical team and other officials arrived, most of the patrons that perished were gone at that point. Generally the bus boys, dish washers, and other employees did most of the life saving.  Many factors come into play and there is no quick explanation to the subject other than the State really doesn’t like the subject being brought up.

A Wonderer said on August 17, 2010 at 10:27 am

Christian yous should shhhhhhh PLEASE!  Thank you!

matthew sorrell said on August 17, 2010 at 3:27 pm

Thanks a bunch for the links. I’ll take a look at them. I’d never bring up the subject, if I ever talk to a surviver, without asking permission to talk to them first. I’m respectfull like that.

matthew sorrell said on August 17, 2010 at 3:28 pm

oops, misspelled survivers:

Christian Anthe said on August 17, 2010 at 10:12 pm

Matt: You could also visit the ‘’Newport Gambling Museum’’ on 5th @ York Streets in Newport, KY, owned by Larry Trapp.  He has a rare record released shortly after the fire, only a few hundred copies were made.  If you bring a reliable record player with you, he might let you listen to it.  Made just after the fire locally.  Most of your local news have live recoeded footage, but would take special permission to have all that brought out of archives.  Since I’ve just been told to ‘’Shhhhh’’, I guess I’d better not say any more.  I can say I admire you saying some prayers on the bottom of that hill.  It should be preserved as a hallowed ground.

matthew sorrell said on August 17, 2010 at 11:28 pm

Thanks again Christian.