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On November 28th 1942, a huge fire occurred at the Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston. 492 people perished in total. The Cocoanut Grove was originally a speakeasy--an
illegal bar during alcohol Prohibition--and some of its doors were bricked up or bolted shut. The main entrance to
the club was only a revolving door. There were flammable decorations
throughout the building including cloth drapery and paper palm trees. The club had a licensed capacity of 500 people, and on the night of the fire
there were about 1000 people in the building. All of the above
contributed to the tragedy.
Matchbook (Inside)
It is believed a busboy lighting a match to
see while replacing a light bulb had started the blaze in the basement
(Melody Lounge). Within 5 minutes the basement was totally engulfed
and many people died stacked up at the one stairwell. The exit door at
the top of the stairs was bolted shut. The fire spread to the ceiling
on the first floor, and totally engulfed it within another 5 minutes.
Many people died trying to exit through the revolving door--pushing
from both sides and preventing escape. Some diners in the restaurant never
even had a chance to leave their seats, having been asphyxiated by smoke and
toxic gases.
Matchbook (Back)
As a result of the Cocoanut Grove fire and tragedy, the fire laws were
expanded to include larger restaurants and bars, and not just theaters.
Building codes were also changed so that outward swinging exit doors with pushdown
"panic bars" must flank any revolving doors in larger facilities. The
owner of the club was eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter and spent 3 1/2
years in prison. During the 1990s, former Boston Fire Fighter and
researcher Charles Kenney had discovered and concluded that the
presence of a highly flammable gas propellant in the refrigeration
systems--methyl chloride--greatly contributed to the flashover and quick
spread of the fire (there was a shortage of freon in 1942 due to the war
effort). The busboy initially blamed for the tragedy was ostracized
for much of his life because of the fire.
Cocoanut Grove Location
Arlington Street Station (Green Line) is nearest to the
location of the Cocoanut Grove Fire. This photograph was taken at
Piedmont and Church Streets, one block from Arlington Street. The
Cocoanut Grove Night Club stood on the left. Embedded in the brick
sidewalk, near the end of the parking lot above, is a memorial plaque that
marks the spot of the building. This author searched Piedmont Street,
unable to find the memorial, and a local resident directed me to the site,
thankfully. It is sad a more significant memorial has never been erected.
Cocoanut Grove
Memorial
Embedded in the sidewalk is a memorial to those who lost their lives. The plaque states: "The Cocoanut
Grove. Erected by the Bay Village Association, 1993. In memory
of the more than 490 people that died in the Cocoanut Grove Fire
on November 28 1942. As a result of that terrible tragedy, major
changes were made in the fire codes, and improvements in the treatment of
burn victims, not only in Boston but across the nation. 'Phoenix out
of the Ashes.'"
Buck Jones
The most famous person that died as a result of the fire was cowboy film
star Charles "Buck" Jones. He was in Boston for a children's show at Boston
Garden, and was traveling the country to sell war bonds and for publicity.
Local theater owners arranged a tribute for him at the Cocoanut Grove on
November 28th. Buck Jones died on November 30th from 3rd degree burns
and other injuries. About 20 of 24 people in his party also lost their
lives. The above image is from an old penny arcade card.
Epilogue
If one reads the newspaper articles about the tragic fire,
witnesses describe a brilliant flashover in the ceiling of the club. A flashover occurs when built-up gasses spontaneously combust after
a certain temperature is reached. A layperson could deduce that a
highly flamable gas was likely present. It took 50 years for this to
be researched and publicized. It is unreasonable to ask why?
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