The Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

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"On the 31st of December, 1986, patrons gambling in the casino of the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico noticed a light haze of smoke in the air..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Background
03:21 - The Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire
08:03 - The Investigation
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
► "Underworld" by Myuu
SOURCES:
► “Three in Teamsters Union Charged in Hotel Fire” published by the LA Times, February 1988. Link: www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
► “Dupont Plaza Fire Survivors Still Trying to Come to Terms with Tragedy” by Joan Mower, published by the LA Times, March 1987. Link: www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
► “An Engineering analysis of the early stages of fire development - The Fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel and Casino” by Harold E Nelson, published by the NIST, May 1987. Available via: www.nist.gov/publications/eng...
► “Three sentenced in San Juan Hotel Fire That Killed 97” published by The Washington Post, June 1987. Link: www.washingtonpost.com/archiv...
► “Governor Praises heros of Dupont Plaza fire” by Irene Garzon Fernandez, published by UPI, January 1987. Link: www.upi.com/Archives/1987/01/...
► “Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire: San Juan, Puerto Rico - December 31, 1986” by Thomas J Klem, published by the National Fire Protection Association. Available via: archive.org/stream/dupontplaz...
#Documentary #History #TrueStories

Опубликовано:

19 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 1,3 тыс.

@bobblebardsley Год назад

Man you can really play Fascinating Horror Bingo on this one. Furniture fire started deliberately by disgruntled employees, casino/ballroom more full than usual, people initially ignored the fire, no staff training on fire procedures, locked emergency exits, only one unlocked exit, crush at the only open door, guests forced to jump from windows, it goes on and on. I feel like 1986 isn't even that early compared to some of the very similar incidents already on this channel, they really didn't learn the lessons from those huh.

@breakthru7608 Год назад

The only things I’ve got left on my bingo card is that ‘the designers called it unsinkable’ 😂

@bobblebardsley Год назад

@@breakthru7608 9:12 If you look at the left-hand column of the newspaper cutting, "People were still sitting there playing the slots with the smoke swirling around them. It was like the Titanic." 👍

@reachandler3655 Год назад

@@breakthru7608 They'd have been correct, it didn't sink 🙃. You're missing the 'fireproof' and 'earthquake proof'.

@motherlove202 Год назад

@@breakthru7608 You also left out "fire alarms didn't work" or "phones out of order"

@junkiedropouts3186 Год назад

@@motherlove202 "90 minutes into the fire it was discovered nobody had thought to phone the emergency services"

@ironmaidentragic Год назад

How many times do you hear the words "Doors were locked to prevent theft" in these videos. How many have died due to these theft preventing measures around the world.

@cath4566 Год назад

Worrying more about theft than safety really says a lot

@michaelpipkin9942 Год назад

Loss prevention...

@rainecormier2935 Год назад

It's ridiculous that American hotels would still be locking doors after the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory disaster. What do they expect to happen in an emergency OTHER than tragedy?

@bakomusha Год назад

@@rainecormier2935 A single dollar is worth a million dead in the eyes of corporate America.

@sheepkind Год назад

far, far too many

@zacharypeterson6465 Год назад

If there’s one thing I learn from these videos is always take the first “minor” signs (like the light haze of smoke) seriously. If it was just a small fire you can always walk back in and resume what you were doing, but don’t let NORMALCY BIAS get you killed! RIP all the victims

@foobarFR Год назад

That's why every person that says "pfff maybe it's a false alarm, don't listen" deserves to be kicked in the a**. If the alarm rings, everybody OUT. plain and simple.

@karenvanhook6748 Год назад

That is a lesson I've taken from these videos as well, and shared with others. It seems as if there are always a few people noticing smoke or yelling "Fire!" and other people saying "Oh, I'm sure it's nothing." The latter group is almost never included among the survivors. Lesson learnt -- at the first hint of trouble, clear out and *then* assess whether it was nothing.

@ZeldaTheSwordsman Год назад

It can't have helped here that the casino most likely got smoky under normal circumstances.

@warailawildrunner5300 Год назад

I will say as someone who was trapped in a fire, like the people on balconies here, if you ever experienced something like this, even the smell of smoke will get you alarmed. Never ever discount the smell, until you know where it is coming from. (note, like those on the balconies, I was safe, but the fear is indescribable.. )

@zacharypeterson6465 Год назад

@@warailawildrunner5300 wow, thank you for sharing! Glad you lived to tell the tale

@g.sergiusfidenas6650 Год назад

Props to that pilot that by his own volition came to the rescue, who knows how higher the death toll would had been without him or the efforts of the improvised volunteer team at the rooftop.

@PetraKann Год назад

Props?

@antlerman7644 Год назад

@@PetraKann kudos, good on him, ect.

@PetraKann Год назад

@@antlerman7644 Phewww....lucky you cleared that up. That was a close one mate. I was about to panic

@vanCaldenborgh Год назад

@@PetraKann You must be very frustrated.

@concernedamerican6961 Год назад

Kudos to the pilot for sure but the people on the roof were already safe.

@dashi7070 Год назад

The fact that management locked doors despite small fires having been started in the past is just beyond me, looking doors (possibly fire exits) in general is just such a common cause for many deaths in these situations. Why even install fire exits when you intend to block them?

@charleneelyce Год назад

I agree, doors that act as an egress, specifically one that open directly outside, should never be locked. Many of them can only be opened from the inside anyway, or don’t even have a handle on the outside. So worrying about someone breaking in wouldn’t be an issue. It’s despicable the amount of deaths caused by precautions taken to prevent theft.

@scvrlett18 Год назад

@@charleneelyce I think it was more so they had them locked so guests couldn't walk out a side door with a bunch of hotel items

@chatteyj Год назад

@@charleneelyce Hopefully now such acts have heavy puinshments. Also some fire exits have alarms that trigger when you open them which is a good idea all round I think.

@annika5893 Год назад

You install fire exits to pass the building inspection. Once that's done, you can do whatever, unfortunately. People can be incredibly greedy, self-serving and uncaring of others.

@raumshen9298 Год назад

I think they knew their staff started fires, so makes sense to lock fire exits because those who can set fire, can steal, perhaps that's how they reasoned

@evamiller4886 Год назад

The receptionist who stayed at their desk in a burning building to make evacuation calls was quite the hero

@patriciayoung3267 Год назад

Thank you for covering this disaster. Someone I knew died in the fire. She was found in the casino by the doorway. All she wanted was a relaxing getaway and found death instead. Very sad for everyone involved.

@carloscortes5570 Год назад

I also met two young ladies after the fire that came from the states to deal with the court procedures and insurance claims since both her parents didn't survived.

@lifewuzonceezr Год назад

Sorry for your loss

@knightpg3d162 Год назад

Sorry for your loss

@strix3688 Год назад

that's depressing...

@Heinz-bx8sd 11 месяцев назад

Going to a casino for relaxing? And nothing of value was lost.

@mparis130 Год назад

My grandfather was one of the fire chiefs who responded to this fire. Soon after, he retired on medical disability due to the PTSD he suffered. He very rarely spoke of it, but I do remember him seeing people jumping out of the Twin Towers on 9/11 and mentioning how some guests of the Dupont Plaza did the same. That horror really stuck with him for the rest of his life.

@charlesdial7152 Год назад

I don't think people are suppose to witness other's jumping from high places and blowing there heads off..etc! This is why alot of folks come back from war's all messed up; a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

@alienvomitsex Год назад

@@charlesdial7152 War, and a lack of safety measures, only benefit rich elites at the cost of human life.

@doodlecharmz Год назад

😳

@AnnaSoll99 Год назад

Heartbreaking to hear this. While I researched what happened in this hotel I automatically remembered 9/11 😢

@stars660 7 месяцев назад

Heartbreak!

@Leguminator Год назад

I worked much of my younger years in hotel food service then moved into facilities management for a while where part of my job was monitoring building safety protocols --- capacities, hall widths, obstructions, egress etc. After doing that a couple years I looked back at my hotel food days and remember countless potential death traps. Fire doors propped open, halls blocked with maybe 24 inches of space left, rarely used stairwells completely blocked with storage, boxes piled up blocking smoke & heat detectors, doors opening the wrong way, rooms booked well beyond capacity. I'm grateful I never experienced a disaster.

@Olhado256 Год назад

Makes you wonder how many disasters are just waiting to happen...

@ATSNorthernMI Год назад

@@Olhado256 All over packing rooms and making money. It's sad that these places will put people's lives at risk to turn a profit.

@x-teveo Год назад

Hey Fascinating Horror, This donation might not be much, but just wanted to get your attention. I cannot express how happy I am to finally see this story be covered. When I had initially suggested this tragic event, not only was it because I was deeply fascinated by the way you presented these stories, but also because the mother of a close relative of mine was a victim and survivor on this tragic event. She was in the casino at the moment of the fire and had to break and jump through the 2nd story window in order to escape. Even though she sustained minor injuries and a broken leg, she was able to survive the ordeal. Thank you for documenting and sharing these fascinating horror stories. Sincerely, A big fan.

@crimsonclover9871 Год назад

A huge well done to that private helicopter pilot who took it upon himself to rescue people from the hotel roof. True heroes like him restore my sometimes shaky faith in humanity. Brilliant video as always! Fascinating Horror is one of the best channels on YT!

@delanorrosey4730 Год назад

The first helicopter was not a private one, but Puerto Rico police helicopter. (The small helicopter sitting on the corner of the roof. The copilot got out and helped organize groups of people so as not to overload the small helicopter's load capacity. Fitness instructor Nick Busey assisted the copilot to ferry and load guests to helicopters.) The SECOND helicopter WAS a private helicopter that followed suit.

@Arkylie Год назад

Mr. Rogers said his mother always told him to "look for the helpers." In any major disaster, there are always people trying to help. Sheepdogs -- the people who run *toward* the danger, rather than away.

@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 Год назад

@@delanorrosey4730 The private helicopter still was under no obligation to help. Nobody would've sued 'em for continuing on their way. It just so happens that the aviation industry is chock full of people who care about others. When a small plane suffers an engine failure and has to land off-field, nearly any pilot with the time to spare will request directions to the last radar ping. Hell, there's even a news story of an airline pilot talking a two-seater down for a highway landing when they lost radio contact with ATC. Pilots care. When it comes to life or death, pilots care. They know what it's like to be isolated from direct help. The people on the roof were very much isolated.

@delanorrosey4730 Год назад

@@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 When I said "followed suit", I didn't say he sued or was sued. "Following suit" means he done likewise as is the helicopter before him. "Following suit" is a term from card playing. Example: I put down a 7 of Hearts. You or someone else has to put down an 8 of hearts. No 9 of hearts or 8 of spades/clubs/diamonds nor anything else until the 8 of hearts is put down. Get it? I.E. the police helicopter landed on the extreme corner of the roof to pick up evacuees. The private helicopter that followed after the police helicopter was too big to land on the roof, so he hovered next to the building to pick up more evacuees. The larger military Bell/Huey helicopters that came after the private helicopter had an even more difficult time getting next to the building to pick up evacuees.

@thurayya8905 Год назад

It is amazing how much difference even one person who cares can make in a disaster. Just one.

@marvindebot3264 Год назад

Can confirm, Marriott go well above and beyond requirments for fire safety. If all chains showed their level of responsibility, almost any deaths in hotel fires would be a thing of the past. Firefighters usually dread the thought of a hotel fire but the chances are if turned out to a fire at a Marriott property it will be out on arrival and certainly the evacuation will be complete and total. As a firefighter (retired) I can not praise them enough.

@brendanroberts1310 Год назад

It's good to see a company putting the health and safety of there workers and customers above profit.

@TheJingles007 Год назад

Thank you, Firefighter Marvin De Bot

@princeofcupspoc9073 Год назад

Shill much?

@PureSniperWolf Год назад

Thank you for your service.

@Markus_Andrew Год назад

Thank you Marvin for everything you and your fellow fire-fighters do, have done, and will continue to do.

@ckilbarger01 Год назад

I appreciate that these videos usually have a bit of positive light. Like a lot of people died but there are now rules/codes in place to try to prevent another tragedy like this

@rich_edwards79 Год назад

Safety regulations are written in blood.

@sidology1.0 Год назад

Every rule is written in blood. E v e r y.

@DistendedPerinium Год назад

@@rich_edwards79 Not always due to neglect. Sometimes people just don't know about how unsafe a certain thing is.

@DistendedPerinium Год назад

@@sidology1.0 I'm pretty sure there's safety regulations that are written because someone actually thought things through, not because someone died.

@mrimmortal1579 Год назад

@@DistendedPerinium there is a brand of chainsaw that has the warning “Do NOT attempt to stop moving blades with your hands or genitals” That one wasn’t just thought up. It HAD to come from somewhere 😅😅

@shetland990 Год назад

I found myself picturing the last moments of horror those people trapped behind that door went through. It's amazing how that diagram detailing where the bodies were found can tell such a profound story.

@rich_edwards79 Год назад

And because of the powerful smoke extraction system in the casino, they all burned to death too **shudders** 😱😱😱

@DistendedPerinium Год назад

If you have the stomach for it, watch the Station Nightclub fire video. Very similar circumstances and that fire was caught on camera from ignition to building consumption. It's a haunting six minute trip.

@kutter_ttl6786 Год назад

@@DistendedPerinium Every fire safety course I've attended always shows that video as an example of just how fast a fire can spread. It is pretty scary just how fast things can go south.

@daffers2345 Год назад

It looked like a couple of them crawled into a side room, probably seeking an exit. It reminds me of the bodies found at the burned Haunted Castle in NJ. (Fascinating Horror did a good video on that one too.)

@stonefox2546 Год назад

One thing I've learned from this channel is a profound fear of being trapped in a crush. It's a good thing that over here all non-sliding doors are designed to open outwards.

@backroomsguideno.87 Год назад

Those people on the roof who self organized are top of the humanity chain, we all needa be more like them

@SockDrawerDemon Год назад

The people volunteering to stay behind in case there was someone that needed them? They deserve every possible reward and honour. True inspirations.

@maxrheuble2906 Год назад

Proof that humanity can be good.

@dmacrolens Год назад

Needa!?!?!

@neo-didact9285 Год назад

Humans are at their best when everything is at it's worst.

@mikey_bb Год назад

But I can almost guarantee that given the type of people they were/are, they wouldn't want praise, honour or medals - they'd just be more than satisfied with the fact that they saved lives

@debbieanne7962 Год назад

Don't mess with fire. I nearly lost my life when a candle started a fire in my residence. I was asleep and didn't have a working smoke alarm. Woke up when the ceiling collapsed. I ran out seconds before the house exploded. Lost everything except my life. This was in 2007 and I've recovered. Why would anyone start a fire? Look up the case of Mick Phillpot. Started a fire in his home so he could look like a hero and rescue his children. Didn't happen. He's incarcerated due to the death of his 6 children in the said fire

@harrynicholes3166 Год назад

Life is about Choices.

@throbbinwoodofcoxley6830 Год назад

My puppy almost killed me. She chewed on an electric blanket, then pissed on the chewed area. This caught the mattress foam on fire, I woke up to my cat doing a burnout in my face. I pushed him off me and started to fall back asleep when he jumped on my face again. This time I sat up to chase him out of the room, and I got a breath of that caustic smoke. I barely made it out of the house after unplugging the blanket. I passed out on the porch for a while, that cat saved my life through blind luck. He was trying to get to the slightly opened window above the head of the bed.

@cramer4506 Год назад

>Why would anyone start a fire? As a former Teamsters, this absolutely feels like shit the Teamsters would pull. Said Union is insanely corrupt, and gives not a single ounce of compassion to the people their strategies harm as long as it rakes in further revenue for the Union Bosses.

@debbieanne7962 Год назад

@@cramer4506 who are teamsters? I'm Australian and haven't heard of the term

@deprofundis3293 Год назад

@@throbbinwoodofcoxley6830 wow, incredible story! And who knows, maybe your cat was actually trying to save you intentionally! The cat I grew up with was like that.

@grapeshot Год назад

They set up for the perfect backdraft. And the description of when that fireball came into the casino it is beyond wow.

@Aprilsraven629 Год назад

The correct term is flash over, the entire rooms ceiling area is ablaze with waves of rolling flames consuming everything until it reaches ignition temperature about 1000 degress then an explosion of these superheated gases occurs igniting everything downwards until it runs of out fuel, air or is extinguished....its frightening to witness first hand and everyone of us fire-fighters dread being caught up in one

@TRex-fu7bt Год назад

Wow I had never heard of flash over before.

@rifleman762 Год назад

Part of the problem was also the very strong smoke ventilation system that the casino had. Back then smoking was allowed in the casino it actually sucked out most of the smoke that would have alerted the people inside, instead by the time they realized what was happening it was too late. This fire was incredibly hot!

@neonhomer Год назад

@@Aprilsraven629 Aren't a backdraft and flashover two different things?

@frayline Год назад

@@neonhomer Yes, backdraft is when oxygen starved fire is suddenly exposed to more oxygen causing it to "explode". Flash over is when a fire is superheating the area around it. Once the area reaches ignition temp it "explodes".

@jumpingjjonah8088 Год назад

Best documentary series on RU-vid. So professional.

@billy2182 Год назад

FH and Brief Case are my favorites.

@petestaint8312 Год назад

Agreed!

@daffers2345 Год назад

He is my favorite of the ones I've watched!

@thetannikat Год назад

Fascinating Horror, Plainly Difficult, and Disturban are my three to-gos

@The-Clockwork-Eye Год назад

Except...since when was Puerto Rico part of the USA?

@nancyjones6780 Год назад

The fact that most of the people who died in the casino died from burns is the worst part of the whole incident. Tragic is an understatement! 😥😥😥

@iluvyurbles Год назад

Burning is one of the most painful and slow ways to die

@ShadowXII Год назад

Doors locked for theft might as well be the center of the Fascinating Horror bingo.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Год назад

I vote overcrowded. That's ALWAYS there.

@ConWolfDoubleO7 Год назад

Something to take away from all these videos is to never doubt your instincts. Even if its a minor fire, just leave. Its always better to be safe than sorry in a situation like this.

@PureSniperWolf Год назад

Agreed. If the choice must be made, it's better to be a guest at a funeral than the star of it.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Год назад

I hear the 3 alarm beeps, and I'm GONE. Don't need to see anything as in running down the stairs (by myself)

@deborahblackvideoediting8697 4 месяца назад

Agreed. I used to work at a non-profit and we received a lot of emergency training. One thing the instructors always repeated was that it is better to evacuate a building (or set off a fire alarm, or take some type of responsive action) and be wrong about the perceived threat, then to just sit there and ignore it - then find out the hard way it was real.

@nancyaustin9516 Год назад

Once again, a casual "It can't happen here" attitude adds unnecessary death and pain to an already sad situation. And you just gave me another reason to stay at Marriott hotels--they're already my usual go-to when traveling.

@RuminatingWizard Год назад

So you have a "It can't happen here" attitude about Marriott. Noted.

@samuelschick8813 Год назад

@@RuminatingWizard, I feel the heat from that burn all the way over here. No pun intended. LOL

@syxepop Год назад

@@samuelschick8813 - and all of us in The Island who saw that in our media back then felt that burn to our souls...

@samuelschick8813 Год назад

@@syxepop, Well that went right over your head.

@gayzell850 Год назад

Well, let's hope they also give their employees good wages and benefits so they aren't disgruntled enough to start a fire and put the safety procedures to a true test.

@vladimirenlow4388 Год назад

This is one of the few FH vids I've seen where the disaster was cause by an actual crime rather than simple negligence. But the negligence issues involved made the disaster that much worse.

@FIDIOT-cringe 6 месяцев назад

The negligence is every bit as much of a crime. If not more so.

@leontrotsky7816 Год назад

I used to be involved in pay negotiations on the union side at one time, and I have to say that large-scale incidents of arson were not what you'd call standard tactics.

@charlessaint7926 Год назад

In desperate times people's true self is revealed. A pilot happening upon the scene turned into an angel from Heaven. Volunteers staying with the burning building to guide others to safety. They saved a lot of lives by putting their own at risk.

@marlened.9795 Год назад

Puertorican here. I was born in ‘83, grew up hearing about this, and it is still talked about to this day.

@jeg5gom Год назад

I lived in Puerto Rico at the time. Needless to say that tragedy captured the attention and outrage of everyone on the island. While much blame was directed at the poor preparation/safeguards on the part of management, the overwhelming wrath of the public was certainly directed at the perpetrators who planned it, outright. For adults in PR, all you have to say is “El Dupont Plaza”, and harsh memories arise. Great video.

@darkcoeficient Год назад

This is barely talked about in PR and it angers me because I know it is because of the people who caused it and the why they caused it.

@jiovaniloncarevic Год назад

Were working conditions and pay subpar in these big hotels?

@jeg5gom Год назад

@@jiovaniloncarevic aaand the point of you question is... justification for the deaths? Go for it, Jiovani.

@gantz22ify Год назад

@@jiovaniloncarevic You’re right, all those people absolutely deserved to die as collateral damage because of the actions of a few. Go to hell, dude. Go straight to hell.

@prudencepineapple9448 Год назад

I remember when this happened. I vividly remember live footage of the people trapped on upper floors. They're images I will never forget. There's a documentary on this as well as another one on a high-rise building fire somewhere in South-America during the 1970s.

@joaovitorjungblut5225 Год назад

Might it be the joelma fire in brazil? That was a pretty big one

@rosemiller417 Год назад

Such sights are horrorfull to witness even over screen. I catched Greenfell Tower Blaze Live.. Many Docs on that too. Wasn't pretty.

@prudencepineapple9448 Год назад

@@joaovitorjungblut5225 I think it's that one.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 9 месяцев назад

Stay out of high rises or any floor you can't jump from and expect tp live.

@stuartmiller7419 Год назад

The lesson that we should ALL take from these fire-related documentaries is that, if you see even the slightest signs of smoke in a public building, you raise the alarm immediately and you get out and tell others to get out. Rather the embarrassment of a false alarm than underestimating tragedy.

@ZeldaTheSwordsman Год назад

Sadly I can understand people in the casino hesitating at first. Casinos can get pretty damn smokey just from, well, people smoking. Casinos being magnets for chain smokers makes the owners all the dumber for only installing sprinklers in the laundry area, never mind the previous intentional fires

@boopy6430 Год назад

I think what bothers me so much is that fires had been COMMON in that building and despite that, there were still so many mistakes made by the hotel itself. Despite it being a clear case of arson I can't help but think someone on the hotel's end should have taken the fall for what happened as well

@Ashes719 Год назад

It's bizarre that whoever decided that door should be locked did not wind up in prison.

@alice45-fgd-456drt Год назад

That was my thinking too, I obviously agree that the arsonists should be punished too, but one dude got a life sentence for egging on an arsonist while the people who cared more about preventing theft than preventing death went on with business as usual? Insane tbh.

@nathanwall37 Год назад

They died of burns..... my gosh. What a horrifying though. The terror, the crush of people, the screaming. And then the ultimate realization that this is the end. Absolutely chilling. Those poor people.

@sydneypoulin6779 Год назад

My dad designs fire sprinkler systems for apartments/hotels. I show him all of your videos regarding fires. He's had to study events like the Station Night Club and Cocoanut Grove fires. This time he had to walk out of the room when he heard that only the laundry room had been sprinkled. Something he likes to say regarding events like this is "Tragedy changes [the fire] code and the code saves lives."

@jorgevillavicencio427 Год назад

It was our delayed honeymoon and we decided to get as far away from the city and the cold. Though we stayed at the Condado Hilton, my wife and I had lunch at the rooftop restaurant in the Dupont Plaza. We then went to Old San Juan to do some shopping and site seeing. Driving back to Condado, and from our vantage point of view, we thought the fire was at the Hilton. Upon getting closer realized that it was at Dupont Plaza. I didn't go rubbernecking but our balcony had a clear view of what was going on. It wasn't until evening that the report of multiple fatalities was was spoken of in the news. Whenever the wind was blowing in the direction of our hotel we could smell the burnt plastics and just a nasty smell. We left San Juan and spent our last 4 days in Ponce which was absolutely beautiful. Thank you for posting this video. I actually haven't even thought about it in years.

@goneutt Год назад

Private Pilot who volunteered for this deserved an unused Nobel Peace prize, like this year.

@iansmith4184 Год назад

Absolutely. Flying a helicopter through the thermal updraft of a fire takes both incredible skill and incredible nerve.

@carloscortes5570 Год назад

Great pilot he had a very small two seater helicopter and the wind from the ocean in that area is very strong, imagine on the roof.he pick up one person at a time and dropped them below on the beach.then a national guard huey chopper arrived and a coast guard helicopter.

@rifleman762 Год назад

I read about this fire in readers digest back in the 80s. Scared the living daylights out of me! Fire science has always fascinated me and was part of the reason I became a volunteer firefighter years later.

@PureSniperWolf Год назад

Thank you for your service.

@rifleman762 Год назад

@@PureSniperWolf thank you for that! I was probably the most rewarding time of my life, my only regret is that I didnt get into the fire service out of high school, its definitely a young man's game.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Год назад

Mine was a book on the Iroquois or Our Lady of Angels in Chicago

@asmodahlia Год назад

Marriott may be the leader in these practices but in the three and a half years I worked for them, we never received fire safety training. I feel like there are far too many establishments that don't take fire safety seriously.

@_siggi_783 Год назад

"Most died from burns rather than smoke inhalation" This is not what you want to hear

@harrynicholes3166 Год назад

💥.

@motherlove202 Год назад

Usually it's vice versa

@ohitsjustmegod5276 Год назад

I live in the US and stay up late into the morning. I can always count on your videos dropping around 3am. Keep up the good work. 👌

@OumuamuaOumuamua Год назад

You know, I was going to say were is it 3am in the us, but just realized its 5 for me lol

@ShyGetsHi Год назад

Likewise! West Coast crew!

@brooksmc Год назад

4 a.m. for me

@kiwibean2232 Год назад

West coast gang 😅

@sharonsmith583 Год назад

Wow! So excited you covered this. My son just got back from a stay at that Marriott. They had no idea until an older guest at the bar told them all about it. I had to Google it, had never heard about it.

@adamhickey396 Год назад

Before I watch the video, I am going to make a prediction that in this fire there is either 1) an emergency fire exit which has been blocked or locked preventing egress from the building, or 2) inadequate fire safety precautions i.e. sprinklers/training/poor building layout and codes. EDIT: So just watched the video. I must admit that it is quite incredible and shocking just how many of these fires, whether accidental or deliberate, feature these glaring safety issues. You would honestly think that, by now, people would have learned.

@mondenkindqueen Год назад

People know, but those same people are cheap. Safety costs money don’t ya know?

@gayzell850 Год назад

@@mondenkindqueen Yeah, can't let safety get in the way of profits. Not at least until people pay for the greed with their lives.

@JS-mg1mk Год назад

Why on earth would anyone think starting a fire in a building with hundreds of innocent people would be a good response to “disputes with management”? Like, there’s a thousand less deadly ways you could make a point if that’s what you’re trying to do. Unbelievable.

@insertnamehere5602 4 месяца назад

Yeah, can we take a second to talk about how much those guys probably screwed negotiations? I can't find how that conflict was resolved, but I imagine not well for the union.

@cashkitty3472 Год назад

I remember as a young new employee of a bank, they showed us a video of a women working at the bank getting congratulated on her engagement, later in the day the fire alarms went off but the women ignored it thinking it was a false alarm. Then she does from smoke. I was shocked but I always make sure I get out. Ironically at another bank there was a fire on the roof (fire alarms did not go off and it was at fayers house, the exact same site where the great fire of London started!!

@neonhomer Год назад

I work in construction and we are subject to numerous "false alarms" during testing of the system... and it isn't announced. You'll just be working on something and the system goes off. We have no way of knowing if it is real or not except for some general contractors have an alternate method of alerting a jobsite of an actual emergency by use of an air horn (or similar signaling device). I've been de-sensitized by fire alarms so much I don't even react when I hear them any more... but I am willing to bet if one went off in a hotel I was sleeping in the middle of the night I'd be up and out!

@daffers2345 Год назад

One day at work, the fire alarm lights started flashing in my section, but there was no bell. I had my back turned, and my co-worker pointed it out. I said "Let's go," and the three of us started to leave. As we were walking, a man came over and profusely apologized, saying he was testing the system for a dead light. He said he thought that we wouldn't leave if the bell was off. We had not been told about fire alarm testing. This channel - among other things - has shown me that it's always best to err on the side of caution!

@gnarthdarkanen7464 Год назад

Just gonna say (as I've repeated countless times before) I'd rather get bitched at for "being silly about it" than die for having "far more ballz than brains"... ;o)

@colincampbell767 Год назад

From my Army days: One Saturday I was getting my jeep ready to go out and get muddy. My phone rang. The soldier on the other end said: "Top - I can't hear you over the fire alarm." I called the CO, got in my car and headed over to the building. The fire alarm had automatically notified the post fire department and they had the situation under control (and the fire put out) before I got there. They were not happy. When they arrived only a handful of soldiers had actually left the building. They had to go room-to-room chasing people out. The post Fire Marshal complained to the commanding general. The General chewed out our brigade commander, our brigade commander lit up our battalion commander, the battalion commander chewed out my CO and I got to meet with the Command Sergeant Major for 'professional development.' I went and lit up my platoon sergeants - who tore into the squad leaders. The squad leaders spent the next couple of weeks conducing fire drills at random times - including the middle of the night. Needless to say - nobody had a fun time. And the cause of the fire? A soldier managed to catch a microwave oven on fire trying to make popcorn.

@gnarthdarkanen7464 Год назад

@@colincampbell767 From my Navy days, we were lucky enough to get random fire drills at least twice a week for someone forgetting to put water in their g** d*** ramen noodle cups... (at least on the land bases)... At least, we never got so complacent about getting out of the building when the alarms went off... except for the occasional dumb SoB who'd gone to sleep in the lounge while lighting the microwave on fire... meh... ;o)

@MrArgus11111 Год назад

Few criminals are as loathsome as arsonists because of the horrific damage to property and, much more importantly, people they can cause in such a short period of time.

@reachandler3655 Год назад

While I agree with your statement, many people who set a fire don't consider or expect the fire getting out of control and the carnage that results. Thanks to watching channels like this I now realise just how quickly a small fire can become raging inferno.

@zacharypeterson6465 Год назад

Rea What the fuck are you talking about? You really needed this channel to tell you that fires can spread?

@andrewkuebler4335 Год назад

@@reachandler3655 That makes their crime no less horrendous. It does however, show how important it is to learn from their mistakes.

@elisam.r.9960 Год назад

@@reachandler3655 That depends on the arsonists in question. Those that set buildings ablaze in 2020 selected their targets (gas stations, liquor stores, and even a bookshop) based on how much fuel/accelerant was contained within.

@KazyEXE Год назад

Also criminals are the managers who skimp on fire safety and lock fire doors, and building owners who don't put in simple fire systems.

@angelandra Год назад

Wow this one hits close home. A friend of my grandfather was a croupier at the DuPont Plaza casino and survived the fire by breaking up a window and jumped by the pool area fracturing both of his legs. I also stayed at the now called Marriott hotel and while it’s a great hotel, I felt a strong discomforting energy.

@angelandra Год назад

Wow I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt this 😨.

@strix3688 Год назад

discomforting energy? man... that sounds sad, right..?

@jeremycitron1455 Год назад

Do you know if the Croupier friend of your Grandfather is still alive? There was in fact only one window smash out and I remember his face very well. If it were not for him I would have died on the day. Would appreciate any thing you can render.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 9 месяцев назад

Only b/c you know what happened. If you didn't, it would be like any other hotel

@craigblyth Год назад

Ahhh, my favourite Tuesday morning activity! Thanks for your relentless hard work, this channel truly is fascinating. I’ve binged every single one of your videos, so I always look forward to a new one each week!

@ellejayqueue8494 Год назад

Me too but I skip any video to do with cave diving and/or claustrophobia!

@ihita9128 Год назад

For me it's my favourite night activity, his videos release at around 10pm Tues for me lol

@craigblyth Год назад

@@ellejayqueue8494 I initially avoided anything to do with plane crashes. But because of his emotionless, factual and calm delivery I eventually watched them and it wasn’t so bad!

@medinsane Год назад

@@ihita9128 same except it’s 7 pm!

@Lownamebrand Год назад

Same I listen once when it drops and again at work later on and this one has my union in it as well, I wish it was for a better reason though :(

@MegCazalet Год назад

It was tragedies like this in the news combined with an actual fire at a hotel my family was at that gave me a phobia of HOTELS as a child. I vividly remember the alarm going off and grabbing for my blankie while my mom shouted we couldn’t take anything with us, we had to RUN. My father scooped up my little brother and we ran down seemingly endless stairs. Fortunately, that incident was minor and put out quickly. But the terror I felt certainly left an impression on me. Years later when I was on a work trip in Canada, the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night, while it was utterly miserable wet and freezing outside. I was THE ONLY PERSON who evacuated. And I would do it again.

@elliottprice6084 Год назад

Most hotel fires featured on here so far have been caused by some kind of fault with the building, but this one was a shocker. I had heard of this disaster but I didn't know it was a case of arson and mass murder. I'm just glad the perpetrators of this tragedy were given long sentences. But it's even more tragic that this had to happen before proper fire safety was brought in to make the building safe

@ethribin4188 Год назад

The firewas caused by workers. The reason it was so devastating however was 100% managment's fault. No training, locked escape doors, turned of fire alarms and phones, and the classic. No sprinklers.... Seriously. The scale of negligence is as, if not more, criminal then the arson itsself. >:c

@punkybrewstar83 Год назад

Bingo. And yet those responsible for that negligence are never held accountable.

@trouper206 Год назад

“Shoulda had a bulletproof vest on” Or alternatively “Don’t shoot ppl”

@Badazitan Год назад

I would love to see a short on flash over - it's crazy how fast a fire can get out of control

@oven2066 Год назад

One quick correction, albeit a morbid one - "Flashover" is what happens when the smoke itself catches fire - smoke is just carbon, after all, and so the fire seems to crawl across the ceiling. The video states that those inside the room were killed instantly when this happened, but they wouldn't have been. It's a rapid horizontal spread of fire, not an explosion. Given the conditions needed to create a flashover, it's unlikely that any were still alive in the room when it happened, but even if they were then the flashover itself wouldn't have instantly killed them.

@ashleycook6025 Год назад

An important distinction indeed.

@eadecamp Год назад

I used to work in a church that had been built in the 1930s. It cost thousands to bring the building up to 1997 code. Doors leading to a main hallway had to open out and glass doors had to be able to open within seconds. I suppose fire drills might have been a good idea, but that never happened. But long after I had left, I heard that they had had been not one but two fires within a few years of each other. Thankfully nobody was in the building when it happened.

@clray123 Год назад

Ah yes, communicating your feelings by setting things on fire... reminds us a bit of those who communicate their feelings by glueing themselves to a busy street.

@pfadiva Год назад

Yes, these 3 sad excuses for bipeds not only cost people their lives; they also cost their fellow employees (who survived) their jobs. The hotel was closed for 6 years.

@cramer4506 Год назад

@@pfadiva Average Teamsters tactic working as intended NGL.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Год назад

That's because they didn't understand English... Ok. Bad joke. Like that's all you can do to show you're mad?

@samuelfellows6923 Год назад

😠 - 🇬🇧, we have climate change protesters doing that ~ inconveniencing the traveling public while HMs government is ignoring them and has more interest in COP 27 where some Russian and Arab oil-barons are squeaking about their exploits and for us to burn more gas and oil

@alice45-fgd-456drt Год назад

It's not really about communicating feelings but rather about being disruptive enough to force change. Considering many of us would've been property if no one had ever done disruptive things to force change, I don't see why you think you're in a position to be snarky about it.

@veryberry39 Год назад

"If not for exiting, why is it made of door?"

@steve3291 Год назад

Are we allowed to enjoy these because of what they cover? I always look forward to my Tuesday dose of horror.

@syxepop Год назад

To our Host and Narrator, GRACIAS for such a BALANCED and NEUTRAL approach to one of the disasters we Islanders endured on our own. Now, on to the (2017) Hurricane María's case (it started when meteorologist Ada Monzón planted an ALERT on that one 5 DAYS BEFORE with quite a precise forecast).

@MajiggerRose Год назад

So, as someone who experienced terrible treatment as a low wage worker from awful management, I still can't imagine doing something like that. Yes, there were plenty of nasty, even abusive patrons that our employers refused to protect us from, but there were enough genuinely good, kind people. I definitely would've set off some stink bombs in the office areas if I could have, though. That said, the management still bears a good deal of the blame and also many should have done jailtime. They'd bear the blame entirely if there'd been an accidental fire because of their greed.

@paulrasmussen8953 Год назад

No. If the wages were not enough then seek a new job. No justification

@alice45-fgd-456drt Год назад

I think the idea was probably to set off the fire alarm to disrupt that evening's business, rather than killing a ton of people. Plenty of people have caused massive fires and deaths as a result of having a simple barbecue in the backyard or setting off a coloured smoke bomb for a gender reveal party. I highly doubt this was intentional in any way, but sadly a lot of people have very little respect for how quickly fire can get out of hand.

@alice45-fgd-456drt Год назад

@@paulrasmussen8953 No, if you can't pay living wages then don't hire people. No justification.

@kukachoo42 Год назад

@@paulrasmussen8953 Jobs pay wages based on the market at the time. If there was a high-paying job that you could get as someone living in the global south in a tourist economy then you would've already had it

@kukachoo42 Год назад

@@paulrasmussen8953 People in the global south living in poverty due to imperialism aren't doing so because they've just chosen to. There wouldn't be millions and billions of people doing that if that was the case. Use your critical thinking skills

@jacekatalakis8316 Год назад

This is both ascinating and terrifying. Never knew the full story behind it

@sedatedape315 Год назад

I remember this disaster flashed across my TV that New Years Day as the death toll kept climbing. Also the unbelievable number of articles in my city's various newspapers for weeks after. Another excellent and quality video with very good research to provide the truth. Well done, and thank you for the work involved.

@Ignatiusbatist 9 месяцев назад

All my moms family lived 5 blocks away from the Dupont with clear view, they saw everything people jumping and people getting saved. Very good video!

@grapeshot Год назад

I remember that show Rescue 911 hosted by William Shatner that had a very good episode about this disaster.

@pmberry Год назад

"Some doors had been locked by management in order to prevent theft." We've been here before, and too many times.

@lillyclarity9699 Год назад

private property > human life. welcome to our current economic system

@pmberry Год назад

@@lillyclarity9699 And that's why there's a justice system.

@veryberry39 Год назад

"Justice"

@lillyclarity9699 Год назад

@@pmberry literally delusional, lol.

@Zipzap1313 Год назад

Your work is so amazing, so detailed, and unlike any I've seen~💕💕💕 Thank you for all your hard work, remember that you are loved and valued ~😊

@knobjob2839 Год назад

The exit door everyone was going for opens inwards according to the building plans shown. That will trap almost any panicked crowd.

@charleslayton9463 Год назад

yup. That was mentioned in the video too.

@Edgeworthscravat Год назад

I once worked at a hotel where for a week, we had false fire alarms from faulty detectors. It was reported every single shift I was in, and noted in the handover diaries. One Saturday, we had a wedding and were at max capacity (170 people). To prevent more false alarms, it was decided by management to switch off the fire alarm system, instantly invalidating insurance claims should the worst happen, not to mention putting 171 peoples lives at risk (including the night porter who was told to be extra vigilant) I protested but was told it would be fine and to stop being a silly girl. That night I went home and didn't get a wink of sleep because I was afraid a fire would break out and would ravage the place. The next morning I handed in my resignation as I did not want to be put in that position again. They do this shit ALL the time and fake fire alarm tests, visits, inspections.

@meredithc2755 Год назад

The deadliest hotel fire in US history was at the Winecoff Hotel Fire in Atlanta, GA, Dec 7, 1946. Out of the 119 killed, our little South Georgia town of 13,000 lost 7 high school students and a teacher, there for a conference. One girl’s mother almost didn’t let her go…

@aluvrianne Год назад

Other than the arson aspect, this played out eerily like the MGM Grand fire. As to the jerks who killed 97 people, it's comforting to know that the next time they'll be outside prison walls is when the undertaker arrives to take them to the funeral parlor.

@scmroman Год назад

Your videos have taught me that no matter what it is, always react accordingly to the very first sign of trouble. No matter how small that sign maybe, waiting it out could have fatal consequences.

@Around-The-Verse Год назад

Great. I work on ship so I usually stay by two months on seas and I always watch one episode on this channel morning before I go sleep after my shift. Glad to find new episode

@JuniperJadePR Год назад

This, the 2009 Cataño oil refinery fire, Morris J. Berman oil spill & the Humberto Vidal Explosion were all modern incidents in PR that led to sooo many changes in the long run given how destructive they were. I knew a few people who worked both before & after the fire happened (the hotel rebranded as San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino after the incident). One less spoken about problem that occurred during the evacuation attempts was that people had trouble communicating with each other not only because of all the noise but, the linguistic barrier between English & Spanish (hotel service staff is usually kinda fluent but maintenance employees? Not so much). What really gets people with this story here is that there were people who refused to leave the casino without their money until the last minute/when it was too late. The level of negligence is so horrifying that many can't comprehend it since all of our fire safety advancements came as a result of this. The first 2 helicopters on the scene were from the SJ Police & a private charter from the USVI that happened to be landing in the nearby airport. 144 people like Charles Pat Walter, Francisco Pumarejo, Angel Rojas, Julio Colon, Nick Bucci, and Fernando Rivera Atiles were serious badasses who contributed to saving so many that day. Not surprisingly, everyone who was tied to the fire got sued to oblivion, there are quite a few ghost stories now linked to the property & there's a collectible market centered around the casino chips/other items that survived the fire.

@reborno-o4498 Год назад

There was also Mameyes, but that one is barely known outside the country. I remember Humberto Vidal fondly, since I was at a school a few blocks away from the explosion. Hopefully both will also be featured here, I suggested them along with this one.

@JuniperJadePR Год назад

@@reborno-o4498 I hadn't included Mameyes because I was only mentioning incidents involving fire hazards but yeah, it was a terrible thing that is hardly discussed outside of PR.

@friendlyporkchop Год назад

excellent video as always. could you do a video on the ghost ship warehouse fire in oakland, ca in 2016? it was a major tragedy here that i feel never got enough attention, and a lot of attention it did get was to blame the victims for their own deaths/injuries/trauma

@Magikalic Год назад

I love this channel, and how respectful you are to the disaster. Could you please cover the Grenfell Fire at some point?

@neonhomer Год назад

I thought he had already, but that was another RU-vidr who did it...

@rosemiller417 Год назад

Don't think much will come from it sadly. Saw that one Live. The whole Thing is pretty Grim. It was so fast.

@cruisepaige Год назад

@@rosemiller417 was/is horrible.

@DJ_PROMO_PR Год назад

I am from Puerto Rico. I was sixteen when this happened. I remember watching this live on the local news. Crazy.

@seandelap8587 Год назад

Why does it always seem In a time of emergency that the doors are locked and people have no means of escape.

@WouldntULikeToKnow. Год назад

Because you often don't know the doors are locked until you need them.

@fritzkrieg2344 Год назад

Gotta prevent Theft.

@PrezVeto Год назад

Selection bias. If people were able to escape, most would, and the events wouldn't be recounted here.

@alice45-fgd-456drt Год назад

Because a lot of business owners care more about preventing theft than they care about making sure that people can escape in the case of an emergency. It's all greed.

@PrezVeto Год назад

@@alice45-fgd-456drt If the business owners had thought a fire would occur, they'd have saved their business. They were shortsighted, as people tend to be, not realizing they were pushing their and their workers' and customers' luck too far. Try keeping a business going without preventing theft. The thieves share the blood on the hands.

@hungryhedgehog4201 Год назад

This is why you dont just willy nilly do direct action like this, does more harm than good. The people who died arent the ones you struggle against.

@kukachoo42 Год назад

exactly. direct action needs organization to plan, rogue cells arent as effective as mass group action. although their desperation is striking to me. i think about amazon, starbucks, walmart, etc current day union busting tactics and think how it got to this point. that combined with management's poor safety practices was a disaster waiting to happen

@doctordolldesigns4009 Год назад

"Locked doors to prevent theft" Ah yes, here we go again.

@Dollarkat Год назад

Would be weird today to stand in that lobby where dozens of people burned to death though .

@anarivera7038 Год назад

Thankyou for covering this one. The Marriot hotel, former Dupont Plaza, was clearly visible in my high school recess ground. Cannot imagine the sight it mustve been that day. I found out about this disaster and never looked at that building the same way again.

@reachandler3655 Год назад

I remember this, I was 18 (yes, I'm that old), I was astounded there was no fire alarm. 3 years later I got my own home, in a tower block, no fire alarm or sprinklers, no instructions on what to do in the event of a fire. Whenever there was a hint of fire in the block I'd take my dog for a walk, I didn't want to be in there.

@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 Год назад

Why didn't you issue a complaint about the lack of fire alarm and sprinklers? Surely, that's the kind of thing you could get someone in serious, multi-million-dollar trouble over.

@reachandler3655 Год назад

@@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 Wasn't required in council homes back then. Don't know if they are now, I would hope they are after Grenfell Tower tragedy.

@filanfyretracker Год назад

its amazing how long it took things like sprinklers to become required in all areas of hotels. They do not stop all fires but they do help buy time, of course a good fire alarm system and unlocked exits are also quite essential.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Год назад

No, what's REALLY amazing is this was a 60s building. Fire sprinkler systems have existed since late 1800s! In their modern form. So, that 60+ years passed and they CHOSE NOT TO when it was new...

@dovercastbrandon9637 Год назад

Would love to see you do a video on the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. It’s the worst volcanic eruption in the history of the United States, and one of the worst natural disasters in the nation’s history. I love your videos, and your presentation and factual delivery would be great in a video covering the mountain’s explosion.

@TazzeOptical Год назад

According to wikipedia: "Jiménez Rivera and Rivera López were released from federal prison in 2001 and 2002, respectively.", not even 20 years in prison, ridiculous.

@harrynicholes3166 Год назад

Suspicious.

@PrezVeto Год назад

🤬

@cjthebeesknees Год назад

I’m not upset with that, I thought the punishment was excessive in the first place. They’re intent and mindset of their actions is key you know. Yes, what they chose to do was very irresponsible and stupid, some might say unforgivable but I don’t think their was any malice or cruel intent to create such a mess of a disaster to begin with. Serving 15 to life sounds like a paid debt to society to me, long as they are remorseful, get out and contribute positively to society and walk the straight and narrow. Those men weren’t murderers, they were misguided idiots, big difference.

@melissag9160 Год назад

I feel like this channel could save my life someday. Now when I travel, I'll take my own fire and carbon monoxide detectors, I'll walk the building exits to make sure I know the way and the doors are unlocked, I'll ask the building staff to recite their fire emergency strategy, and I'll be hypersensitive to smoke. I'll get a room on the third floor and pack a rope ladder in my suitcase (high enough to be safe from most tsunami surges but low enough to climb down in a fire). Anything I missed?

@danielalexander8588 Год назад

Glad to watch this weeks Fascinating Horror. Every week the videos are interesting and full of detail. I also love that there's no judgement from the narrator, where some other channels do. Keep up the good work!

@rogerswab2131 Год назад

Loving the increased production value of recent videos.

@veryberry39 Год назад

Increased production value, or just a lot more stock footage being used in recent months? I realize it's often hard to find actual B-roll of most of these things, but I still find the generic stock footage to be jarring. Buuuut I'm still here, so...

@RobKaiser_SQuest Год назад

FH describing a tragedy in Puerto Rico as "one of the worst in the United States" is more recognition than the US government will ever give PR.

@geepuller1 Год назад

One thing I've learnt from these videos is if there is any doubt get out of the building. Better to evacuate unnecessarily 100 times than to stay inside by mistake 1 time.

@jortspheus642 Год назад

the whole time i was watching this video, i couldn’t help but feel like the location and building plans looked familiar… then learned it was the marriott i stayed at many years ago. cool piece of history that i didn’t previously know!

@izmelo Год назад

This is one of many reasons why i dont stay in hotels anymore. Ive always been terrified of hotel fires since i was like 4 but hearing ab this just solidifies my fear. RIP to everyone who passed away in this tragedy. So much death and innocent lives ruined all because a few people were mad at management not reaching an agreement with the union. The management is almost just as guilty as those who actually started the fire because the situation would have to have been pretty dire and workers must have been very mistreated for people to go to such extreme lengths.

@bluejedi723 Год назад

"doors locked to prevent theft" Good thinking there dude, good thinking!

@WobblycogsUk Год назад

So many of these stories end up with no one going to jail so it's nice to see someone face some consequences here. As usual though no one from management seems to have faced any punishment. There was far more loss of life here than necessary. We knew in 1986 that emergency doors had to open out, that sprinklers were needed, that fire alarm systems should work but it seems no one is responsible for those issues.

@F40PH-2CAT Год назад

In this case management wasn't directly responsible. This was a criminal act by 3 awful people.

@lorddude123 Год назад

@@F40PH-2CAT by a union that was and still is common unions are trash

@harrynicholes3166 Год назад

@@F40PH-2CAT Lock up the bottom feeders, eh? No sprinklers/fire alarms in a building of that size??

@PrezVeto Год назад

@@harrynicholes3166 The PR government didn't require it. It has to be viewed within the context of the standard in Puerto Rico at the time.

@GiordanDiodato Год назад

@@F40PH-2CAT except they were responsible for the deaths.

@krispybird6492 Год назад

As a Puerto Rican this is so common. The rampant disregard of peoples safety is everywhere and corruption is SO prevelant. Its disgusting and im not even surprised.

@dreamsofparis5535 Год назад

Another great video! One of my aunt's was born and raised in Puerto Rico and before coming to the mainland USA recalled how bad the news of this hotel fire was taken.

@jolene54 Год назад

I was at that hotel's beach that day. Sad day in San Juan.

@longlivebeans Год назад

If there’s anything I’ve learned from this channel, it’s get your ass up when you see that smoke.

@ZeldaTheSwordsman Год назад

"the fact that sprinklers were only installed in the *laundry* area of the hotel" That alone shows just how bad the owners and management were cheaping out and neglecting obvious hazards. Considering that casinos have always been frequented by people who smoke like chimneys...

@ChuckLipsig Год назад

For several years, the college department my mother taught in, in upstate New York, would have a "winter semester" in San Juan. For three or four weeks, students would take a class in the morning and have the rest of the day to themselves with several planned group outings. The faculty and the family members who came with them stayed in a guest house near the Dupont Plaza Hotel and would visit the restaurant in casino there. I went with my parents in 1985, when I was 19. A year to the day -- perhaps to the minute -- before the fire, I was playing blackjack in the casino. 1985 was the last year that program was held. If it had been continued into 1986, i might well have been there again, when the fire hit.

@aidanlevangie2927 Год назад

In Labor disputes, I’m always pro-labor; but you know, don’t start fires.

@bakomusha Год назад

Unless it's in the lap of the CEO.

@F40PH-2CAT Год назад

Why?

@PrezVeto Год назад

Always being pro-anything, without regard to specifics, is ridiculous. Everyone is capable of being in the wrong.

@cjthebeesknees Год назад

As you should be, men and women alike have fought for the right of future generations and we should recognize that and pay it forward. Only issue I have with Unions is the leaders or council/upper echelon members being bought out/corrupted or betraying the other 99%/rest of their fellows for whatever gain or reasons and I think it happens much more then most realize. Any division of the group as a whole to fewer individuals or leaders/representatives is more likely to be susceptible to self interest and loss of integrity, every step and action of a Union, from initial to conclusion should be supervised and subject to general popular vote. Corporations are uncaring and ruthless (history proves this past and present) and mans inherent self interest and greed knows no bounds. Unions as a whole and the ideas and concepts they initially represent and fight for are admirable and well worth the vigilant fight. Integrity feels like a foreign concept nowadays and man to man handshake deals and given words are not respected as they should be and used to be.

@ivartangring3392 Год назад

It's not the first time that union ideas led to bloodshed. It's a selfish, xenophobic ideology, and the politics that spawned from it killed millions of people in China and the Soviet union. Maybe better to live and let live?

@canadiankazz Год назад

It is really horrifying to think about how not so long ago, we didn't have the standards for fire safety that we do today. Pure nightmare fuel.

@erinrow399 6 месяцев назад

I was working at a concert recently and after seating was done, other staff wanted to lock the doors preventing extra people “sneaking in” I said firmly and fast “no way can we lock doors, fire safety!” And they all had a “oh yeah, guess so eh” expression. There was no fire but your videos continue to make ripples of safety because of what we learn from these.

@darthixion957 Год назад

You actually did it! You took up my suggestion! Thank you so much! To think I was having my second birthday party while something so horrific was going on...

@myrnamiranda1006 Год назад

We also had a party at home and grandma said”turn off music” there has been a disaster in San Juan. I went with my cousins and I will never forget that day 😢🙏

@darthixion957 Год назад

@@myrnamiranda1006 Same here. That birthday party of mine was held in my grandma's house. Had family and friends over and all. I don't remember anything about that day, seeing how I'd just turned two years old, but my folks told me they found out on the news while the festivities were going on. They didn't elaborate on how everybody reacted, though. I didn't find out till years later, obviously. I've been weirdly fascinated with this event since, having happened on my birthday and all.