My mom and dad considered going that night...my mom really liked John Davidson...glad they did not!

 

Well, my dad ended up going anyway...one of the cops pulling out bodies and giving some mouth to mouth...a night nobody in my family will ever forget.

 

IMO, NO DOUBT it was arson...read the recent book on the subject and the evidence is overwhelming.

What would be the reason for arson? And what are the clues that it's arson?

Hoops, you should read the book by Robert Webster that talks about the reasons and clues that it was arson. Do you have a Kindle? I have the book and can loan it to you if you give me your email address.

As someone who's never really looked into what happened, how did so many get stuck inside or were unable to get out? Did it collapse on them, were they trapped in a certain part of the building?

As someone who's never really looked into what happened, how did so many get stuck inside or were unable to get out? Did it collapse on them, were they trapped in a certain part of the building?

 

Besides some of the doors being locked, many people were overcome by deadly smoke from the chemicals in the upholstery, etc... The same smoke made it so hard to see that people just couldn't find their way out.

It was a nightclub/dinner club but also had many rooms for wedding reception and proms etc. Many high schools in NKY held proms there in the weeks before the fire. Was at one and could not find my way out and took several wrong turns despite asking directions from workers at the club.

 

I remember my mom going there with my sister for some high school event. Mom always looked for the exits and after being there one time and seeing the set up she would never go back.

As someone who's never really looked into what happened, how did so many get stuck inside or were unable to get out? Did it collapse on them, were they trapped in a certain part of the building?

 

This is a very famous case of building code violations and low level "corruption" from local building and fire inspectors. The facility broke all kids of fire codes in relation to occupancy, exits, escape routes, etc. it was built piecemeal over the years, with this addition and that addition, and it was a confusing jumble of rooms that was very hard to exit in an emergency, as discovered. Some oldtimers that use to be in the office here when I first started (long since retired) were involved in the investigation from a workplace hazard/fatality standpoint.

Edited May 29, 201511 yr by BigVMan23

This is a very famous case of building code violations and low level "corruption" from local building and fire inspectors. The facility broke all kids of fire codes in relation to occupancy, exits, escape routes, etc. it was build piecemeal over the years, with this addition and that addition, and it was a confusing jumble of rooms that was very hard to exit in an emergency, as discovered. Some oldtimers that use to be in the office here when I first started (long since retired) were involved in the investigation from a workplace hazard/fatality standpoint.

 

 

Not to mention the accelerant that was used to wipe down various walls within the place which made it go up in flames quicker. Again, Robert Webster's book is a must read. If anyone wants to read it and has a Kindle, I would be happy to loan it to you.

Not to mention the accelerant that was used to wipe down various walls within the place which made it go up in flames quicker. Again, Robert Webster's book is a must read. If anyone wants to read it and has a Kindle, I would be happy to loan it to you.

 

LA is RIGHT ON when she says this book is a must read. I challenge anyone to read the book and not think it was a mob arson hit. The mob had approached the Schillings about buying them out and they were not interested. So the mob burned the building down. The KY govt is/was totally corrupt so the investigation was a total joke. Answer this question. Why would the fire marshall order the building to be torn down TWO DAYS after it burned?? The only possible reason is to destroy evidence...

 

I could go on and on about the book and it is long (much of the beginning is about the mob history in NKY). It also exposes Stan Chesley (attorney who made millions off the fire - class action law suit - by suing many people who had absolutely nothing to do with the fire) as the total crook he is.

I'm not discounting the possibility of arson because of all the reasons that it COULD have been arson.......but why would they burn the building with so many inside that are potential witnesses. Why not do it off hours when it could easily spread and the response time might be delayed because no one noticed as quickly?

Is Stan Chesely one of the lawyers that got into trouble about stealing money from clients over the Phen-Phen lawsuits?

I'm not discounting the possibility of arson because of all the reasons that it COULD have been arson.......but why would they burn the building with so many inside that are potential witnesses. Why not do it off hours when it could easily spread and the response time might be delayed because no one noticed as quickly?

 

Beverly Hills had been burned to the ground on previous occasions. The message was obviously not received.

Is Stan Chesely one of the lawyers that got into trouble about stealing money from clients over the Phen-Phen lawsuits?

 

Yes. Currently disbarred I believe.

I'm not discounting the possibility of arson because of all the reasons that it COULD have been arson.......but why would they burn the building with so many inside that are potential witnesses. Why not do it off hours when it could easily spread and the response time might be delayed because no one noticed as quickly?

 

This is actually discussed in the book. The author believes that the fire was supposed to be set (by timer) at about 5-6am (when nobody was inside) but it was inadvertently set 12 hours off so that it started at 5-6pm. It smoldered for a while and then exploded later. His thought was that the mob wanted to burn down the building but NOT kill 160+ people. Their beef was with the Schillings, not the people inside.

 

Again, read the book. It is very interesting...

My mom and dad were up there something like the week before. Always bothered them to know that it could've just as easily been them in there. I was 6 going on 7 at the time, and my brother was just a couple months shy of his 2nd birthday. Obviously, our lives would have been a lot different had mom and dad's timing been worse.

My parents were supposed to go but my mom was pregnant with my sister and wasn't feeling well. Just makes me wonder what might have been.