Summerland 50th Anniversary: What happened and why does it matter?

The Summerland disaster is the Isle of Man’s greatest tragedy.

A total of 50 people died, and 80 more were seriously injured, after a fire spread through the island's leisure complex on 2 August 1973.

It was, at the time, the worst peacetime loss of life in a fire disaster since the blitz, and many who suffered feel the catastrophe has never been truly recognised.

The blaze has been widely recognised as one which, had lessons been learnt from, could have foretold the Grenfell disaster.

Of the 50 who tragically died, 11 of them were under the age of twenty.

How did the fire start?

The fire was sparked by three young boys from Liverpool who were smoking in a small disused kiosk at around 7.30pm on 2 August 1973.

A discarded cigarette caused the kiosk to catch fire, which then collapsed against the building, and within minutes it was ablaze.

Flames then spread undetected up the inside of flammable cladding called Galbestos.

Remarkably, during this time there was no attempt to evacuate the 3,000 people inside.

This was until visible flames appeared through a vent, causing a rushed panic towards the doors.

After realising the fire doors were locked, everyone ran in the same direction, causing a crush at the main entrance.

The fire then caught on a material called Oroglas which was used to build the roof.

This caused burning Oroglas to then drip down onto people trying to escape.

The flames first became visible inside the building at around 8:00pm and the first fire engine was on the scene by 8:07pm.

Once the fire brigade had arrived, the whole building was ablaze.

50 people were killed and over 80 were injured.

The Inquiry

A public inquiry titled 'The Summerland Fire Commission' (SFC) was published in May 1974.

It found the primary cause of the disaster was due to the use of non fire-resistant materials, including Galbestos, being used on the external wall.

Flames spread up a 12-inch gap between the external wall and the internal combustible fibreboard wall which caused the flames to build in intensity.

The fire then continued up to the roof causing the Oroglas panels to fall out of their frames.

Once alight, the roof burnt out in around 10 minutes, causing burning debris to fall from the roof, burning people below.

The report highlighted how quick Oroglas burned as a building material once it had been heated by other materials built close to it.

It also concluded that the high number of deaths were due to the delayed evacuation of the building and the inadequate means of escape.

The inquiry also found that no fire alarm sounded when Summerland was engulfed in flames, leading to a major delay in the evacuation.

The SFC concluded the architects made a number of errors which led to the tragedy, but 'no villains' were singled out.

In the closing paragraph it states: "In all the above inadequacies and failings, it seems to the Commission that there were no villains.

"Within a certain climate of euphoria at the development of this interesting concept, there were many human errors and failures and it was the accumulation of these, too much reliance on an 'old boy' network and some very ill-defined and poor communications which led to the disaster."

No criminal charges were ever brought, and a series of 34 recommendations were made in relation to building regulations.

A verdict of 'death by misadventure' was given to those who had died in the fire.

Summerland: 50 years on

Half a century on from the fire, some of the original Summerland site is still visible in Douglas today.

The Summerland site remains in the ownership of the Isle of Man Government and continues to be marketed for development.

A programme of surveying work was undertaken by the Manx Development Corporation to assist with this process.

Official commemorative plans were announced by the Isle of Man Government to mark 50 years since the Summerland fire.

This included:

• National service of remembrance at St George's Church in Douglas on 30 July.

• Douglas Council remembrance service at Kaye Memorial Gardens on 2 August.

• Chief Minister Alfred Cannan making formal presentation to emergency services representatives.

• Culture Vannin is publishing an online collection of interviews with eyewitness accounts.

• Manx National Heritage is creating an online exhibition of photos, film and archive material.

A memorial site was unveiled in 2013 for the 40th anniversary of the disaster, including two pillars listing the 50 names of those who died as a result of the fire.

This is now formally known as the Kaye Memorial Gardens, where Douglas Council hold their annual remembrance service.

Survivors, families of victims and other officials travelled to the Isle of Man for the 50th anniversary.

ITV Granada Reports have aired a number of special reports around the 50th anniversary of the Summerland fire.

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