Ozone Disco fire

Last updated

Ozone Disco fire
DateMarch 18, 1996;28 years ago (1996-03-18)
Time11:35 p.m. (UTC+08:00)
Location Quezon City, Philippines
Coordinates 14°38′06″N121°02′09″E / 14.63500°N 121.03583°E / 14.63500; 121.03583
TypeFire
CauseUnknown, believed to be electrical fire
Deaths162
Non-fatal injuries95

The Ozone Disco fire in Quezon City, Philippines, broke out on March 18, 1996, leaving at least 162 people dead. It is officially acknowledged as the worst fire in Philippine history, [1] [2] and among the 10 worst nightclub fires in the world. [3] [4]

Contents

History

Ozone Disco was a popular spot in Quezon City for students and young professionals in the mid-'90s. It was located near the 11th World Scout Jamboree Memorial Rotonda along Timog Avenue. It was opened in 1991 by Sergio Orgaoow. [5] [6] Its building had previously housed a jazz club named "Birdland". [5] The disco was operated by Westwood Entertainment Company, Inc. [6] [7]

Incident

The fire broke out just before midnight on March 18, 1996. At the time of the fire, it was estimated that there were around 350 patrons and 40 club employees inside Ozone Disco, though it had been approved for occupancy for only 35 people. [1] [7] Most of the club guests were high school and college students attending graduation or end-of-the-school-year celebrations. [8] Survivors reported seeing sparks flying inside the disc jockey's booth shortly before midnight, followed by smoke which they thought was part of the DJ's party plan. [1] Another survivor added that after about 15 seconds of smoke, the electrical systems of the disco shut down; flames quickly became visible. [9]

Many of the bodies were discovered along the corridor leading to the only exit, piled up waist-high. [1] Quezon City officials were quoted as saying that the club's emergency exit was blocked by a new building next door, [1] and that no proper fire exit was installed. [8] It was also reported that the exit had been locked from the outside by the club's security guards, who had thought that a riot had taken place. [7]

A 2008 photograph of the Ozone Disco building in Timog Avenue, Quezon City. The structure remained standing until 2015; it was never restored for commercial use and remained undisturbed until its demolition in March 2015, and a new structure built thereafter. Ozone disco.jpg
A 2008 photograph of the Ozone Disco building in Timog Avenue, Quezon City. The structure remained standing until 2015; it was never restored for commercial use and remained undisturbed until its demolition in March 2015, and a new structure built thereafter.

Casualties

The final death count was reported as between 160 [10] and 162 people, the latter being the figure cited by the trial court that heard the ensuing criminal case. [7] In addition, at least 95 people were injured. [7] The death toll was one of the worst ever for a nightclub fire, [8] though it was subsequently surpassed by the República Cromañón nightclub fire.

Investigation and aftermath

Six people involved with Westwood Entertainment were tried before the courts for criminal charges of "reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple serious injuries". [7] [10] On March 16, 2001, the president of Westwood Entertainment, Hermilo Ocampo, and the corporation's treasurer, Ramon Ng, were found guilty by a Quezon City trial court and sentenced to a four-year prison term, and fined 25 million pesos each. [7] [10] They and their co-accused (who were acquitted) were also ordered to indemnify the families of the deceased 150,000 pesos, and 100,000 pesos to the injured. The trial court concluded that Ocampo and Ng failed to provide fire exits and sprinklers inside the establishment, that the fire extinguishers they placed were defective, and that the lone exit was through a small door that swung inward and did not meet the standard set by the building code. [7] A former employee who was among the survivors of the fire has claimed that the inward swinging doors were installed because it was good feng shui. [11]

In November 2001, twelve officials of the Quezon City government were charged before the Sandiganbayan for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicides and multiple serious injuries. They were accused of allowing Ozone Disco to secure a certificate of annual inspection in 1995 "despite the inadequacy, insufficiency and impropriety of the documents submitted by the owners". [10] In 2007, one of the twelve – the former city engineer and building official of Quezon City, Alfredo Macapugay – was discharged from criminal and civil liability after the Sandiganbayan concluded that he had no hand in the issuance of the necessary permits to Ozone Disco management. [12]

On November 20, 2014, seven officials of the Quezon City government were found guilty under the Philippines' anti-graft and corrupt practices law by the country's anti-graft court Sandiganbayan. They were held liable for negligence in connection with the approval of the building permit and issuance of certificates of occupancy for the company which owned Ozone. The club's owners were also found to be liable. [13] The court affirmed its decision in April 2015. [14]

Former site and developments

The structure, which housed the Ozone Disco, remained standing in Timog Avenue, Quezon City but was not commercially used for over 20 years after the incident. [15] For a few years after the incident, there was a makeshift memorial on the site featuring photographs of the victims. [16] This has since been dismantled, and no marker or official memorial commemorates the incident or its victims. [17]

In March 2015, a week before the 19th anniversary of the tragedy, the Ozone Disco building was finally demolished. Relatives of the victims still visit the site. [18] As of October 2016, the former location of the Ozone Disco Club is currently occupied by a branch of the rice porridge chain GoodAh!!!, co-owned by television host Boy Abunda. [19]

In media

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Disco in Manila, for 35 People, Held 400". New York Times Online. Associated Press. March 20, 1996. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  2. ↑ Esteban, P/Supt. Romulo; Col. Danilo Fabian (June 3–4, 2004). "The Philippine Disaster Management System". Philippine Center on Transnational Crime. Archived from the original on June 28, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  3. ↑ Press, Associated. "A look at deadly nightclub fires Archived April 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine ." Washington Times. January 27, 2013
  4. ↑ "What went before : Ozone disco is No.6 in deadliest nightclub fires Archived August 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine ." Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 29, 2013
  5. 1 2 Ducky Paredes (March 22, 1996). "The Fire in the Ozone" (DOC). Ducky Paredes:Columns from Malaya and Abante. Malaya. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  6. 1 2 Philippine Court of Appeals (October 25, 2005). "Chua v. Pua, CA-G.R. CV No. 80583" (PDF). Supreme Court of the Philippines. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Vanzi, Sol Jose (March 12, 2001). "Light Sentences for Ozone Disco Owners". Newsflash. Philippine Headline News Online. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 "At Least 150 Are Killed in Disco Fire in Manila". New York Times Online. Associated Press. March 19, 1996. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  9. ↑ Throwback: 1996 TVP report on Ozone fire. November 20, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2016– via YouTube.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "What went before". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 12, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  11. ↑ Jaymee T. Gamil (November 22, 2014). "Nightclub door that trapped fire victims supposedly 'good feng shui'". inquirer.net. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  12. ↑ Uy, Jocelyn (August 22, 2007). "Ex-city engineer cleared in Ozone case". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 12, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  13. ↑ Gamil, Jaymee; Mangunay, Kristine Felisse; Ramos, Marlon (November 21, 2014). "After 18 years, 9 found guilty in Ozone inferno". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  14. ↑ Cayabyab, Marc Jayson (April 24, 2015). "Sandiganbayan denies appeals of Ozone Disco fire convicts". INQUIRER.net. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  15. ↑ Johanna Sampan (March 18, 2008). "Ozone Disco tragedy remembered". Manila Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
  16. ↑ Sanchez, Korina. "Ozone Disco fire". Philstar.com.
  17. ↑ "Ozone Disco: Remembering the Tragedy". November 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  18. ↑ Fernando G. Sepe, Jr. (February 17, 2015). "Last Look: Ozone Disco". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  19. ↑ Llanera, Melba (October 13, 2016). "Remember the former Ozone Disco? It's now a food chain owned by Boy Abunda". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Calvento Files: Biktima ng Ozone feat. Diether Ocampo/ Marvin Agustin (Full Episode 18) | Jeepney TV". Youtube.com. Jeepney TV. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  21. ↑ Case Unclosed: Alaala ng Ozone (Part 1 of 4). youtube.com. Retrieved May 16, 2015.[ dead YouTube link ]
  22. ↑ Kara David "case unclosed". Case Unclosed: Alaala ng Ozone (Part 2 of 4). October 6, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  23. ↑ Case Unclosed: Alaala ng Ozone (Part 3 of 4). youtube.com. Retrieved May 16, 2015.[ dead YouTube link ]
  24. 1 2 Case Unclosed: Alaala ng Ozone (Part 4 of 4). youtube.com. Retrieved May 16, 2015.[ dead YouTube link ]
  25. ↑ Hofileña, Emil (August 16, 2018). "'Grandma' sees Unique Salonga carving his own musical path". Rappler. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
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