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 located near the 11th World Scout Jamboree Memorial Rotonda along Timog Avenue. Its building and the land it stood on was a music venue for the most part. Initially, the site housed the jazz club "Birdland", which was owned by Sergio Orgaoow and operated from 1978 until 1990. [5]

When Birdland closed, Orgaoow sold the building and lot to Westwood Entertainment Company, Inc.'s owner and president Hermilo Ocampo. [6] [7] Initially, the Ocampos planned to use the site for residential reasons but the family instead converted it to a discotheque, noting the rise of electronic music in the Philippines. Westwood Entertainment attracted investors and refurbished the building, adding a new portion to the already existing building. This new addition, which faced Timog Avenue, housed the disco's cafe area.

The disco opened in 1991 and became a popular spot in Quezon City for students and young professionals in the mid-'90s.

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 has a capacity of 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] The DJ, another survivor, recalled the microphone died as he was about to warn everyone about the fire. [10]

Many of the bodies were discovered along the corridor leading to the only exit, piled up waist-high. [1] Through initial investigations, it was determined that that no proper fire exit was installed; [8] Quezon City officials were quoted as saying that the club's only known emergency exit was blocked by a new building next door, [1] which journalists stated that the aforementioned emergency exit only led to the female restroom of an adjoining establishment. 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 [11] 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] [11] 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] [11] 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. [12]

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". [11] 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. [13]

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. [14] The court affirmed its decision in April 2015. [15]

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. [16] For a few years after the incident, there was a makeshift memorial on the site featuring photographs of the victims. [17] This has since been dismantled, and no marker or official memorial commemorates the incident or its victims. [18]

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. [19] 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. [20]

In media

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quezon City</span> Highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines

Quezon City, also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C., is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was founded on October 12, 1939, and was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second president of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quezon Memorial Circle</span> National urban park in Quezon City, Philippines

The Quezon Memorial Circle, a national park situated in Quezon City, Philippines is a prominent landmark located within a large elliptical traffic circle bounded by the Elliptical Road. Serving as the main park of Quezon City, which was the official capital of the Philippines from 1948 to 1976, the park is renowned for its centerpiece: a 66-meter (217 ft) tall mausoleum. This monument enshrines the remains of Manuel L. Quezon, the second official President of the Philippines and the first president of an internationally recognized independent Philippines, alongside his wife, First Lady Aurora Quezon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EDSA III</span> 2001 Philippine protests after former President Joseph Estradas arrest

The May 1 riots, or EDSA III, were protests sparked by the arrest of newly deposed president Joseph Estrada of the Philippines from April 25 to May 1, 2001. The protest was held for 7 days on a major highway in Metro Manila, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), which eventually culminated in an attempt to storm the Malacañang Palace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambeth Ocampo</span> Filipino historian

Ambeth R. Ocampo is a Filipino public historian, academic, cultural administrator, journalist, author, and independent curator. He is best known for his definitive writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal and on topics in Philippine history and Philippine art through Looking Back, his bi-weekly editorial page column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diosdado Peralta</span> Chief Justice of the Philippines from 2019 to 2021

Diosdado "Dado" Madarang Peralta is a Filipino attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the Philippines from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from January 13, 2009, to October 22, 2019. He is the third Sandiganbayan presiding justice to be appointed to the high tribunal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilio Jacinto</span> Filipino revolutionary 1875–1899)

Emilio Jacinto y Dizon was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution. He was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Philippine Revolution and was one of the highest-ranking officers of the revolutionary society Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, or simply and more popularly called Katipunan, being a member of its Supreme Council. He was elected Secretary of State for the Haring Bayang Katagalugan, a revolutionary government established during the outbreak of hostilities. He is popularly known in Philippine history textbooks as the Brains of the Katipunan while some contend he should be rightfully recognized as the "Brains of the Revolution". Jacinto was present in the so-called Cry of Pugad Lawin with Andrés Bonifacio, the Supremo of the Katipunan, and others of its members which signaled the start of the Revolution against the Spanish colonial government in the islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Ninoy Aquino</span> 1983 murder in Manila, Philippines

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., a former Philippine senator, was assassinated on Sunday, August 21, 1983, on the apron of Manila International Airport. A longtime political opponent of President Ferdinand Marcos, Aquino had just landed in his home country after three years of self-imposed exile in the United States when he was shot in the head while being escorted from an aircraft to a vehicle that was waiting to transport him to prison. Also killed was Rolando Galman who was accused of murdering Aquino.

1996 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manila South Cemetery</span> Public cemetery in Manila, Philippines

The Manila South Cemetery is a cemetery in Metro Manila. It is an exclave of San Andres, Manila surrounded by land under the jurisdiction of the city of Makati.

2014 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome Rotonda</span> Roundabout in Quezon City, Philippines

The Welcome Rotonda, officially the Mabuhay Rotonda, is a roundabout in Quezon City, Philippines. It is located a few meters from the city's border with Manila, at the intersection of E. Rodriguez, Sr. Boulevard, Mayon Street, Quezon Avenue, Nicanor Ramirez Street, and España Boulevard. The name may also refer to the monument situated on its central island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomas Morato Avenue</span> Road in Quezon City, Philippines

Tomas Morato Avenue is a street located in Quezon City within the Diliman and New Manila areas of northeastern Metro Manila, Philippines. The street links Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in the village of Mariana in the south with Eugenio Lopez Drive in South Triangle in the north and passes through Barangays Sacred Heart, Laging Handa, Kamuning, Obrero, and Kristong Hari. It was named after the first mayor of Quezon City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentex slipper factory fire</span> Third deadliest fire in the Philippines (2015)

On May 13, 2015, a fire broke out at the Kentex manufacturing factory in Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines. 72 people were killed in the fire, making the incident the joint-second worst fire disaster in Philippine history alongside the Manor Hotel fire in 2001; only the Ozone Disco Club fire in 1996 had claimed more lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bantayog ng mga Bayani</span> Memorial and museum in Quezon City, Philippines

The Bantayog ng mga Bayani, sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the dictatorship of 10th President Ferdinand Marcos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th World Scout Jamboree Memorial Rotonda</span> Roundabout in the Philippines

The 11th World Scout Jamboree Memorial Rotonda is a roundabout in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Located at the intersection between Timog and Tomas Morato Avenues, it serves as the boundary between barangays South Triangle, Laging Handa and Sacred Heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quezon Institute</span> Hospital in Quezon City, Philippines

Quezon Institute is a hospital in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The hospital is operated and managed by Philippine Tuberculosis Society, Inc. (PTSI), which also owns the property where the hospital stands. PTSI is a non-stock, nonprofit organization,with Quezon Institute as its biggest unit. PTSI was incorporated on February 29, 1960 and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 11, 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Avenue (Quezon City)</span> Major road in Quezon City, Philippines

East Avenue is a major street in the Diliman area of Quezon City, Philippines. It runs north–south through the eastern edge of Triangle Park. The street is within Quezon City's government area, known for national and local government institutions, offices, and hospitals. It is also home to the Quezon City Hall Complex on the avenue's junction with Elliptical Road. The entire avenue is designated National Route 174 (N174) of the Philippine highway network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GET COMET</span> Motor vehicle

The GET City Optimized Managed Electric Transport (COMET) is an electric minibus developed by American firm Pangea Motors and manufactured and distributed by Global Electric Transport.

The Manor Hotel fire was a fire at the Manor Hotel in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on August 18, 2001. With a death toll of 74, it is considered to be the second worst structural fire in Philippine history, tied with the 2015 Kentex slipper factory fire and only behind the Ozone Disco fire in 1996.

Mario Joel Tolentino Reyes is a Filipino politician who served as Governor of Palawan.

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. ↑ 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. ↑ 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. ↑ "At Least 150 Are Killed in Disco Fire in Manila". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 19, 1996. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  11. 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.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Johanna Sampan (March 18, 2008). "Ozone Disco tragedy remembered". Manila Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
  17. ↑ Sanchez, Korina. "Ozone Disco fire". Philstar.com.
  18. ↑ "Ozone Disco: Remembering the Tragedy". November 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ "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.
  22. 1 2 ALAALA NG OZONE | Case Unclosed. youtube.com.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ↑ 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.