Survivors and family members of the victims of the Cocoanut Grove blaze gathered Saturday at the site of the former nightclub to mark the 50th anniversary of the night 492 people died in the nation's second worst fire disaster.
Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn and other city officials dedicated a plaque in memory of the victims of the fire.Flynn said as a result of the fire, new fire safety codes were put into effect nationwide, and doctors were able to devise new and more effective methods for burn treat-ment.
"To all the family and the friends of all those 492 victims, something positive did come out of the infamous night of horror in Boston 50 years ago tonight," Flynn said.
The Cocoanut Grove, one of the largest nightclubs in the country, was one of wartime Boston's most popular night spots.
The blaze that broke out on Nov. 28, 1942, was the second worst fire disaster in U.S. history, after the 1903 Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago that left 602 dead.
Estimates after the Cocoanut Grove fire indicate almost 1,000 people were crowded into the nightclub, which was only licensed to seat 460. Grove owner Barnett Welansky, who had locked exit doors so customers couldn't leave without paying, was imprisoned for manslaughter and violating public building laws.
Survivors of the blaze shared their memories of that harrowing night.
"I try not to talk about it too much," said John Rizzo, 72, who was a waiter at the Cocoanut Grove when the fire broke out. He said he escaped by climbing through the back of the building.
"I was at the maitre d's desk, talking to the maitre d', Frank," Rizzo said. "There was a lot of panic and the flames came quick."
Rizzo said the maitre d' did not survive the fire. But Rizzo's brother Dan, also a waiter at the club, managed to escape. "He got hit with a table and knocked down. He got out, but got his hands burned, his ears burned," Rizzo said.
Tony Marra, 65, was also working at the club the night of the fire. Marra was taken to court shortly after the fire for working underage but was released.
Marra said he and another employee escaped through an exit window 18 inches wide. When the fire died down, he was taken back in to identify bodies. "I couldn't identify any of the employees . . . not one," Marra said.