Firemen attempted to pull off the metal bars using a chain attached to a fire engine, but were unsuccessful.
STARDUST LYRICS WINDOWS
The windows were sealed with metal grilles and steel plates, which were unable to be removed by sledgehammers, axes, and even tow-ropes from individuals outside attempting to aid. Of the five emergency exit doors, most were either locked by padlock or chains or blocked by tables or vehicles outside in order to prevent individuals sneaking in. The attendees at a trade union function taking place in the same building escaped, but the escape of the Stardust patrons was hampered by a number of obstructions. The DJ announced that there was a small fire and requested a calm evacuation. This caused mass panic as patrons began desperately looking for an escape. The fire flashover enveloped the club and the lights failed. By 1.45 am, a ferocious burst of heat and thick black smoke started quickly coming from the ceiling, causing the material in the ceiling to melt and drip on top of patrons and other highly flammable materials, including the seats and carpet tiles on the walls. The fire was very small when first seen in the Ballroom. The fire then spread to tables and chairs, and patrons noticed smoke and smelled burning. She noticed an increase in temperature but did not smell smoke. The fire was observed by a lady who was sitting in front of the West Alcove. The West Alcove area had enough seats to fit at least 280 patrons. The blaze apparently started after fire on the roof from the storeroom came through the roof tiles and emerged into the nightclub's West Alcove banked seating area, falling onto the backrest and the top of a seating bench covered in PVC-coated polyester fabric. Staff observed a small fire outbreak on a seat in an alcove behind a curtain and they attempted to extinguish it but failed. This non-planning-permission-compliant first-floor storage room contained dangerously flammable materials, including 45 five-gallon (23 l) drums of cooking oil. The fire outbreak is believed to have derived from an electrical fault in the room beside the roof space. In order for the exemption to be given the event was billed as a "dinner dance". There were 841 patrons gathered in the night club for the St.Valentines eve disco event, and the owners had been given a Special Exemption Order to serve alcohol between 11 pm and 2 am. The fire occurred on 14 February 1981 around 1.30 am, with multiple patrons noticing the fire in different locations and times within the nightclub. The West Alcove area had enough seats for at least 280 patrons. There were also tables and chairs on the dance floor area. The club premises consisted of a dance floor, a stage, two bars and two seating alcoves, the North Alcove and the West Alcove. In 1978, the owners of Scott's, the Butterly family, converted the premises into an amenity centre, consisting of a bar, The Silver Swan, a function room, The Lantern Rooms, and a nightclub, The Stardust. It was initially a food factory, operated by Scott's Foods Ltd. The building which housed the Stardust was built in 1948.
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