Stardust inquests: Temperature and speed at which fire engulfed nightclub ‘not normal’

The temperature of the fire that engulfed the Stardust nightclub in north Dublin in 1981, killing 48 people, and the speed at which it spread were “not normal”, a retired senior fire officer has told inquests into the deaths.

William McQuaid, who was a 43-year-old third officer attached to the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) at Tara Street station on the night of the disaster, told Dublin Coroner’s Court on Wednesday that the fire was an “accelerated” blaze and “there was something in that building that contributed to the fast spread”.

The witness, giving evidence on day 88 of fresh inquests into the deaths of the 48 people, aged 16-27, in a fire in the Artane ballroom in the early hours of February 14th, 1981, said he got a call at home sometime after 1.40am that morning telling him a “major accident plan was under way at the Stardust”.

He drove from his home on the Navan Road arriving within 13 minutes, and spoke to third officer Joseph Kiernan from Tara Street, who was then in charge of the scene.

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“When I walked up from the main entrance to the Stardust, the brigade were there operating pumps. There were lines of hoses all over the place. It appeared to me the fire was being fought effectively,” said Mr McQuaid.

“In terms of acceleration, I supported Mr Kiernan’s assessment... [that] this was an accelerated fire. If a fire engine was passing by that building at the time [patrons] were running out of it, by the time they got to work to lay down hoses, to make hoses into the fire, it would have made practically no difference, the fire was going so fast.”

Asked how he could make that assessment, given the fire was under control by the time he arrived, he said it was based on “the condition of the main ballroom”.

He continued: “The modern ceiling had collapsed. The ceiling on the old structure of the building had collapsed. It indicated that the temperature of this fire must have been way above the normal temperature you would get in a normal fire... There was terrific temperature in that fire.

“The higher the temperature, the quicker the spread. It was a fire that was going so fast that it was not a normal speed in terms of what we were used to.”

Asked by Des Fahy KC, for families of nine of the dead, what contributes to the temperature of a fire, he replied: “The combustible material.”

Mr Fahy asked whether “the temperature here was much higher” than would be typically seen.

“It would have to be to do the damage that it did,” said Mr McQuaid.

He would not say whether a “significant amount” of combustible material had produced the high temperature, as he “wasn’t involved in the construction of the building”.

“But there was something in that building that contributed to the fast spread of that fire,” he added.

Mr McQuaid supervised a “systematic” search of the building, instructing that grey blankets be placed over bodies to “mark” them for stretcher-bearers. He ascended stairs from the foyer to the first floor with station officer John McMahon and sub officer Patrick Hobbs.

“There were two female bodies on the half-landing” within metres of a window through which other patrons had escaped, he said, adding that they were checked for pulses, heartbeat and breathing but “there was no response”.

Brian Power was a 26-year-old Eastern Health Board ambulance attendant on the night. He manned one of two ambulances from St Columcille’s Hospital, Loughlinstown involved in conveying bodies from the site to Dublin City Morgue. His ambulance brought two.

“Unfortunately the bodies were not recognisable. We gave them respect and dignity and covered them with blankets.”

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said her office had been able to ascertain the remains Mr Power had brought to the morgue were those of Jacqueline Croker (19) from Kilmore and Jimmy Buckley (23) from Donnycarney. Mr Power said he had not known this.

Christopher Magee, a DFB fireman based at Kilbarrack station, was on the first fire tender to arrive at the scene. Wearing breathing apparatus, he and others entered the building after fighting the fire.

“We entered through exit six and turned left inside the door and we went into a toilet. I saw a number of bodies in a collapsed position in a corner,” he said in a 1981 Garda statement read to the inquests. “We then carried them out through exit five. As far as I can remember I helped to carry out four people from this toilet. I do not know if these people were alive or dead. They were fully clothed and did not appear to me to be badly burned.”

He added: “Near the back of the building I saw three bodies clustered together. They were between rows of seats. The bodies of these people were badly charred. I helped in their removal. We carried them out in sheets and left them outside between exits five and six.

“I saw a number of other bodies badly charred being removed from between rows of seating at the rear of the premises. I also saw two badly charred bodies inside exit door five. I remained in the building for a few hours later searching and dampening down.

“I have 15 years’ experience in the fire brigade and this was the worst tragedy I have encountered.”

David Fitzgerald, a fireman based in Buckingham Street station at the time, arrived with a DFB ambulance at 1.56am.

“No sooner had the ambulance stopped on the Kilmore Road, it was full with youths who were suffering with burns. We ordered 17 people out of the ambulance and we conveyed the remaining 12 patients to the Mater hospital. [It] could only cater for the three most serious casualties and we conveyed the remaining nine to Dr Steevens’ Hospital,” he said in his 1981 statement read into the record.

“We then returned to the Stardust club where we reported to third officer Joseph Kiernan, who instructed us to convey a very critically injured girl to hospital immediately.” They brought her, found lying outside exit four, to the now-closed Richmond Hospital.

“On arrival at the Richmond Hospital at approximately 3.30am the girl was pronounced dead by the casualty officer.”

The inquests continue.

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