Ozone Disco Club fire

A fire at the Ozone Disco Club in Quezon City, Philippines broke out shortly after midnight, Philippine Standard Time, March 18, 1996 (04:00:00 PM, March 17, 1996, GMT) leaving at least 162 people dead. It was officially acknowledged as the worst fire in Philippine history^[1][2], and the world's worst nightclub fire since the 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate, Kentucky.^[1]

Background

Ozone Disco, located along Timog Avenue corner Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City, opened in 1991.^[3][4] Its building had previously housed a jazz club named "Birdland".^[3] The disco was operated by Westwood Entertainment Company, Inc.^[4][5]

Event

The fire broke out on March 18, 1996. At the time of the fire, it was estimated that there were around 350 patrons and 40 club employees inside Ozone Disco, though it had been approved for occupancy for only 35 persons.^[1][5] Most of the club guests were high school and college students attending graduation or end-of-the-school-year celebrations.^[6] Survivors reported seeing sparks flying inside the disc jockey's booth shortly after midnight, followed by smoke which they thought was part of the party plan of the DJ.^[1][5][6] Within minutes, flames had engulfed the inside of the club and its mezzanine had collapsed.^[1]

Many of the bodies were discovered along the corridor leading to the only exit, piled up waist-high.^[1] Quezon City officials were quoted as saying that the club's emergency exit had been blocked by a new building next door,^[1] and that there was no proper fire exit.^[6] It was also reported that the exit had been locked from the outside by the club's guards, who had thought that a riot had taken place.^[5]

The former Ozone Disco remains standing as of 2008 in Timog Avenue, Quezon City. It has never been restored for commercial use.

Casualties

The final death count was reported as between 160^[7] and 162 people, the latter being the figure cited by the trial court that heard the ensuing criminal case.^[5] The death toll was one of the worst ever for a nightclub fire^[6], though it was subsequently surpassed by the República Cromagnon nightclub fire. In addition, at least 95 people were injured.^[5]

Investigation and aftermath

Six people involved with Westwood Entertainment were tried before the courts for criminal charges of "reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple serious injuries".^[5][7] On March 16, 2001, the president of Westwood Entertainment, Hermilo Ocampo, and the corporation's treasurer, Ramon Ng, were found guilty by a Quezon City trial court and sentenced to a four-year prison term, and fined 25 million pesos each.^[5][7] They and their co-accused, who were acquitted, were also ordered to indemnify the families of the deceased 150,000 pesos, and 100,000 pesos to the injured. The trial court concluded that Ocampo and Ng failed to provide fire exits and sprinklers inside the establishment, that the fire extinguishers they placed were defective, and that the lone exit was through a small door that swung inward and did not meet the standard set by the building code.^[5]

In November 2001, twelve officials of the Quezon City government were criminally charged before the Sandiganbayan also for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple serious injuries. They were accused of allowing Ozone Disco to secure a certificate of annual inspection in 1995 “despite the inadequacy, insufficiency and impropriety of the documents submitted by the owners.”^[7] In 2007, one of the twelve — the former city engineer and building official of Quezon City, Alfredo Macapugay — was discharged from criminal and civil liability after the Sandiganbayan concluded that he had no hand in the issuance of the necessary permits to Ozone Disco management.^[8]

As of 2008, the structure which housed the Ozone Disco remains standing in Timog Avenue, Quezon City, though the site of the disco has not been commercially used since then.^[9] For a few years after the fire, there was on the site a makeshift memorial featuring photographs of the victims of the fire. The makeshift memorial has since been dismantled, and no commemorative marker or official memorial marks the incident and its victims.

In media

The October 2, 2008 episode of the GMA Network public affairs show Case Unclosed featured the Ozone Disco fire and its aftermath. The episode was directed by Adolfo Alix, Jr.^{[10][11][12][13]} 2 days before the showing of this episode, September 30, 2008, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. released an ordinance that strictly warns the owners of entertainment establishments to use swing-in/swing-out doors^[13].

December 1996, this was featured in fantasy-horror TV show, also in GMA Network, named "Lihim ng Gabi".

Paranormal sightings

Some people near the location report hearing ghostly disco music in their houses at night and seeing faint people dancing. Passers-by report strange noises and sightings. Investigators, grieving relatives and friends of the victims say they have seen apparitions. Some photographs appear to show floating, whitish figures.

See also

• Rhythm Nightclub fire 23 April 1940; Natchez, Mississippi, United States; 209 dead
• Cocoanut Grove fire 28 November 1942; Boston, Massachusetts, United States; 492 dead
• Club Cinq-Sept fire 1 November 1970; Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France; 146 dead
• Summerland Leisure Centre fire 2 August 1973; Douglas, Isle of Man; 51 dead
• Beverly Hills Supper Club fire 28 May 1977; Southgate, Kentucky, United States; 165 dead
• Stardust fire 14 February 1981; Dublin, Ireland; 48 dead
• Alcalá 20 Nightclub fire 17 December 1983; Madrid, Spain; 82 dead
• HappyLand fire 25 March 1990; New York City, New York, United States; 87 dead
• Kheyvis Nightclub fire 20 December 1993; Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina; 17 dead
• Gothenburg Nightclub fire 29 October 1998; Gothenburg, Sweden; 63 dead
• Luoyang Christmas fire 25 December 2000; Luoyang, People's Republic of China; 309 dead
• E2 Nightclub stampede 17 February 2003; Chicago, Illinois, United States; 21 dead
• The Station Nightclub fire 20 February 2003; West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States; 100 dead
• Cro-magnon Republic Nightclub fire 30 December 2004; Buenos Aires, Argentina; 194 dead
• Wuwang Club fire 21 September 2008; Shenzhen, People's Republic of China; 43 dead
• Bangkok Nightclub fire 1 January 2009; Watthana, Bangkok, Thailand; 61 dead

Fire portal

References

Coordinates: 14°38′5″N 121°28′2″E / 14.63472°N 121.46722°E / 14.63472; 121.46722