The 1978 Holiday Inn fire broke out at a Holiday Innhotel located at 1525 West Ridge Road in the town of Greece, New York, United States, on November 26, 1978.[1][2] The fire was considered notable enough by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Center for Fire Research to document the fire in their 1979 publications.[1][3] In the end, ten people were killed and 34 injured; seven of the fatalities were Canadian nationals.[4] In 2008, the NFPA listed the 1978 Holiday Inn fire as one of only three dozen or so fires which killed ten or more people in the U.S. between 1934 and 2006.[2]
The Holiday Inn in Greece, New York, was built in 1963 at a cost of US$1.3 million and consisted of a wood-frame structure with interior hallways and 91 rooms. The hotel had passed a fire inspection earlier in the month.[5] The fire started on the first floor between the north and west wings of the hotel around 2:30 am. Cleaning supplies and paper products were stored in a closet near the fire's point of origin. Due to fire doors being left opened and the nearby combustible materials, the fire spread very rapidly. The fire alarm system was not tied to a dispatch center and although some people reported a bell ringing, they failed to realize it was the fire alarm bell.[6]
Investigators later determined that the fire broke windows in the hallways connecting the hotel's two wings. Flames shot up to the roofs of both wings and swept through an open area between the room's ceilings and roofs. Firewalls in the buildings did not extend to the roof, allowing the fire to rip through the top floor of each wing. The burning roof had collapsed into the top floor rooms.[7]
The fire was not reported to the Greece-Ridge Fire Department until 2:38 am, when an off-duty firefighter passing by the hotel reported it.[3] 125 firefighters from six nearby fire companies responded and fought the fire for two hours until 4:34 am. About 170 people were rescued from the building by firefighters and passers-by.[8] The fire killed ten victims—eight women and two men—and 34 injured.
Investigation
Initially, the Greece Police Department did not consider the fire suspicious. Questions arose about whether or not the fire alarms could be heard in the lobby of the hotel when firefighters arrived. While hotel officials said the alarms were functioning, firefighters first at the scene said they were unable to hear the bells. Although the building met existing fire codes, it lacked some fire prevention equipment including smoke detectors and a sprinkler system. Additionally, the fire alarm system was not connected to the fire department or any other security agency, and there was only one vertical firewall between the two wings. The alarm system consisted only of one bell in the middle of each of the two wings.[9] John Stickevers, a New York City fire investigator brought in to assist with the investigation, discovered that an uncommon, highly flammable liquid accelerant was used to start the fire inside a storage cupboard under the first floor stairwell.[10] The fire was officially ruled as an arson attack, but no one was ever charged with this crime and the case remains open today.
In early 2011, police launched the most intensive investigation of the fire in the previous thirty years.[11] On November 26, 2014, police announced that they have identified a suspect for the first time, 36 years after the fire.[12] In 2018, it was reported that the investigation had been narrowed down to two suspects but that the investigation had stalled over disagreements between Greece Police and the Monroe CountyDistrict Attorney on which suspect is responsible and over proof of arson.[13]
^ abAnnual Conference on Fire Research. The Center for Fire Research (U.S.). 1979. p. 118.
^"Push on to solve NY arson case that killed 7 Canadians". The Star. November 24, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
^"Holiday Inn fire alarm checked by investigators; question if working". Lodi News-Sentinel. Lodi, California. UPI. November 28, 1978. p. 3. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
^Burgess, John H. (1981). Human factors in built environments. Environmental Design & Research Ctr. p. 78. ISBN0-915250-38-1.
^McDermott, Meaghan (November 27, 2010). "Fatal 1978 Holiday Inn fire still frustrates Greece officials". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
^I-Team 10 investigation: 1978 Holiday Inn fire in Greece
^. Archived from the original on 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
^"40 years after Greece Holiday Inn fatal fire. Investigation stymied by multiple suspects". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
1978, holiday, fire, broke, holiday, hotel, located, 1525, west, ridge, road, town, greece, york, united, states, november, 1978, fire, considered, notable, enough, national, fire, protection, association, nfpa, center, fire, research, document, fire, their, 1. The 1978 Holiday Inn fire broke out at a Holiday Inn hotel located at 1525 West Ridge Road in the town of Greece New York United States on November 26 1978 1 2 The fire was considered notable enough by the National Fire Protection Association NFPA and the Center for Fire Research to document the fire in their 1979 publications 1 3 In the end ten people were killed and 34 injured seven of the fatalities were Canadian nationals 4 In 2008 the NFPA listed the 1978 Holiday Inn fire as one of only three dozen or so fires which killed ten or more people in the U S between 1934 and 2006 2 Holiday Inn fireDateNovember 26 1978 1978 11 26 LocationGreece New York U S Coordinates43 12 19 N 77 40 06 W 43 205395 N 77 668405 W 43 205395 77 668405 Coordinates 43 12 19 N 77 40 06 W 43 205395 N 77 668405 W 43 205395 77 668405TypeFireCauseArsonDeaths10Non fatal injuries34 Contents 1 Fire 2 Investigation 3 See also 4 ReferencesFire EditThe Holiday Inn in Greece New York was built in 1963 at a cost of US 1 3 million and consisted of a wood frame structure with interior hallways and 91 rooms The hotel had passed a fire inspection earlier in the month 5 The fire started on the first floor between the north and west wings of the hotel around 2 30 am Cleaning supplies and paper products were stored in a closet near the fire s point of origin Due to fire doors being left opened and the nearby combustible materials the fire spread very rapidly The fire alarm system was not tied to a dispatch center and although some people reported a bell ringing they failed to realize it was the fire alarm bell 6 Investigators later determined that the fire broke windows in the hallways connecting the hotel s two wings Flames shot up to the roofs of both wings and swept through an open area between the room s ceilings and roofs Firewalls in the buildings did not extend to the roof allowing the fire to rip through the top floor of each wing The burning roof had collapsed into the top floor rooms 7 The fire was not reported to the Greece Ridge Fire Department until 2 38 am when an off duty firefighter passing by the hotel reported it 3 125 firefighters from six nearby fire companies responded and fought the fire for two hours until 4 34 am About 170 people were rescued from the building by firefighters and passers by 8 The fire killed ten victims eight women and two men and 34 injured Investigation EditInitially the Greece Police Department did not consider the fire suspicious Questions arose about whether or not the fire alarms could be heard in the lobby of the hotel when firefighters arrived While hotel officials said the alarms were functioning firefighters first at the scene said they were unable to hear the bells Although the building met existing fire codes it lacked some fire prevention equipment including smoke detectors and a sprinkler system Additionally the fire alarm system was not connected to the fire department or any other security agency and there was only one vertical firewall between the two wings The alarm system consisted only of one bell in the middle of each of the two wings 9 John Stickevers a New York City fire investigator brought in to assist with the investigation discovered that an uncommon highly flammable liquid accelerant was used to start the fire inside a storage cupboard under the first floor stairwell 10 The fire was officially ruled as an arson attack but no one was ever charged with this crime and the case remains open today In early 2011 police launched the most intensive investigation of the fire in the previous thirty years 11 On November 26 2014 police announced that they have identified a suspect for the first time 36 years after the fire 12 In 2018 it was reported that the investigation had been narrowed down to two suspects but that the investigation had stalled over disagreements between Greece Police and the Monroe County District Attorney on which suspect is responsible and over proof of arson 13 See also EditList of unsolved deathsReferences Edit a b Fire command Volume 46 National Fire Protection Association 1979 a b Summary of Fire Incidents 1934 2006 in Hotel Fires in the United States as Reported to the NFPA with Ten or more Fatalities PDF National Fire Protection Association January 2008 Archived from the original PDF on 2010 06 20 Retrieved December 3 2010 a b Annual Conference on Fire Research The Center for Fire Research U S 1979 p 118 Push on to solve NY arson case that killed 7 Canadians The Star November 24 2010 Retrieved December 3 2010 Holiday Inn fire alarm checked by investigators question if working Lodi News Sentinel Lodi California UPI November 28 1978 p 3 Retrieved December 6 2010 Burgess John H 1981 Human factors in built environments Environmental Design amp Research Ctr p 78 ISBN 0 915250 38 1 The Aftermath in the Ashes Spotting the Flames Hard Questions McDermott Meaghan November 27 2010 Fatal 1978 Holiday Inn fire still frustrates Greece officials Democrat and Chronicle Retrieved December 3 2010 I Team 10 investigation 1978 Holiday Inn fire in Greece Police have suspect in deadly 1978 Holiday Inn fire in Greece Archived from the original on 2014 11 30 Retrieved 2014 11 26 40 years after Greece Holiday Inn fatal fire Investigation stymied by multiple suspects Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Retrieved 2018 11 21 Portal New York state Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1978 Holiday Inn fire amp oldid 1115926116, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
