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Six Flags Great Adventure and its parent company Six Flags were indicted for aggravated manslaughter and accused of recklessly causing . [43][44], The film says that two earlier visitors on the day of the fire reported finding an exit door chained shut, but they were not called as witnesses. ''We were so naive,'' said the principal. All the fatalities were teenagers from the same group of nine who had entered the attraction together. This is the RAW & UNCUT FOOTAGE of the RUBBLE of the pernicious and deadly fire at the HAUNTED CASTLE AT SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE. ''At first the smoke was coming out of the top, and then it began to pour out of the haunted house front door.''. Along with computing capabilities immensely more powerful than Flemings, the pair was able to utilize a far more advanced modeling tool known as the fire dynamics simulator (FDS), software that could account for the interaction of numerous fire phenomena. Tickets & Passes. The four trailers came from the Toms River Haunted House Company, owned by George Mahana, with scenes preinstalled. The park is about 60 miles southwest of New York City in central New Jersey. The park remained open during this time but closed shortly after. At about 6 P.M. Friday, he recalled, he was walking with a walkie-talkie, keeping in touch with other school officials. The work by Fairchild and Casterline is the latest chapter in a saga that began with the tragic deaths of eight young people on a spring evening in 1984. [7] During the subsequent criminal trial, the Jackson Township fire inspector testified that he had never inspected the castle. Park President John Fitzgerald said the fire was a terrible tragedy. Were still studying it, he says. A facade of false turrets and towers lent the illusion of height to the one-story structure, completing the look of a forbidding medieval castle. Interviewed after the trial, the jury foreman blamed Jackson Township officials for repeatedly allowing the Castle to exploit flaws in the fire code. They are accused of ''reckless'' conduct in failing to. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the fire that took the lives of eight teenagers trapped inside the Haunted Castle attraction on May 11, 1984. New York City Board of Education, the State of New Jersey, Ocean County and Jackson Township were also included in the various suits. Flemingwho would later serve on NFPAs Standards Council and its Board of Directors and write a long-standing column for this magazinebegan reviewing testimony, and found what he considered three significant errors made by the expert witnesses called by the defense in their assumptions about fire spread and the potential performance of sprinklers during the incident. While his testimony at the trial may have not been looked upon favorably by some, it is important to note that Schirmer also made numerous contributions to the world of automatic sprinklers. Five of those killed Jose Carrion Jr., Eric Rodriguez, Lenny Ruiz, Samuel Valentin Jr. and Christopher Harrison, had been students at Franklin K. Lane High School. Its great for a rough approximation of initial detector activation, Fairchild says, but beyond that other effects come into play . In fact, Schirmer would weather the storm and continue as chair of the Technical Committee on Automatic Sprinklers, a post he held from 1974 to 1997. The defendants denied any culpability, and contended that the fire was arson and that no precautions would have saved lives. To account for the exhaust fan in the area of origin, the heat release rate curve Fleming entered into DETACT assumed all of the heat was removed up to 100 seconds into the fire. Six Flags: Great Adventure - 1984 haunted house fire . Schirmers contributions to these and many other areas continue to benefit the built environment. Finally, Fleming questioned the assumption that standard sprinklers would have responded too slowly and would not have put water high enough on the wall to stop the fire from spreading. A new section titled Special Provisions for Special Amusement Buildings was added to the 1988 edition, requiring every special amusement building, such as the Haunted Castle, to be protected throughout by an approvedand properly installed and maintained automatic sprinkler system. '', ''There were eight of us at the park,'' he said. On May 11, 1984, a fire destroyed the attraction, trapping and killing eight teenagers. Fitzgerald said the park's in-house fire-safety team routinely checks for hazards and inspects all buildings and equipment. And so too, the principal went back to the park, to see if he could help. Read more about code changes prompted by the Haunted Castle fire. [12], One witness, whose group entered several minutes after the group who fell victim, later testified that she saw flames coming from around the bend of the attraction's Hunchback display. Well never be able to replicate the exact conditions of that night 30 years ago, Casterline says. ''There's nothing I can tell them to make it easier. Six Flags Great Adventure is the world's largest theme park with world-class coasters, Safari Off Road Adventure, three kids' areas and events like Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park. Eight of the tragic group got trapped and died of smoke inhalation. At 6:30 p.m., the eight teens were among the 30 to 40 people inside the Haunted Castle when a 14-year-old boy from Pennsylvania flicked open a lighter. The combination of the two really unnerved me.. Additional comment actions. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. He said he planned to make an announcement about the deaths to the 4,200 students this morning. Most of the attraction was contained in 16 commercial truck trailers, connected by plywood and wood framing. Be A Passholder. Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man and Lizzie Borden were frequent guest stars. The chairman of the New Jersey Fire Safety. Onlooker Peter Berkery told The New York Times: "I saw security guards running, and parents running and an incredible amount of smoke rising toward the sky. However, industry sources were reporting that ensuing poor attendance almost caused the park to close in 1987. For example, Haunted Castle was not sprinklered, and the question arose over whether lives would have been saved had a sprinkler system been installed. The Six Flags Haunted Castle Disaster | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror Fascinating Horror 1.02M subscribers 1.4M views 1 year ago #Documentary #TrueStories #History "On the 11th of. For the first time in its history, however, the leadership of NFPAs Board chairman had come into question, according to an October 1985 report to NFPA members from the Executive Committee of the Board. Code changes prompted by the Haunted Castle fire were far-reaching, Despite the controversy around some of the trial testimony and the subsequent analysis of the fire, the Haunted Castle incident prompted several changes to, Read more about code changes prompted by the Haunted Castle fire, The Haunted Castle fire prompted several important changes to. Seven who survived were treated for smoke inhalation. Mr. Valentine, described by his friends as a quiet and studious senior who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, never returned to the bus that night. ''I'm going to pick up a lot of girls over there.''. Shortly into my shift I was inexplicably pulled out of shop to stand watch and divert visitors from an area engulfed in smoke and flames. Mr. Damesek called the families yesterday morning to offer sympathy. The fire broke out shortly before 6:30 p.m., when a 14-year-old boy who was using a lighter to find his way through the attraction accidentally walked into the polyurethane foam padding covering a wall and set it on fire. Author(s): Kathleen Robinson. The state contends they were ''reckless'' in not taking. Spreading rapidly due to the attraction's air conditioning,. As author Peter Smith, who penned a book about the disaster, wrote: "Everyone who was at Great Adventure that day and anyone who lives around here will never forget that day, as long as they shall live. Strobe lights and eerie sounds completed the scene. They were said to have been found harboring near an air conditioning vent. Sprinklers are sometimes thought of as a magic bullet that can solve nearly any fire protection problem, Fairchild says. ''It was still smoking.''. But maybe not even then.. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Lake George, NY. ''We drove quickly past Haunted Castle,'' he said. Exterior decorations included plastic monsters, skulls and other features meant to create a frightening atmosphere. According to park officials, the Haunted Castle is about 70 feet by 100 feet. Most of the suits were settled out of court, however, and Fleming does not know if the report played any role in negotiations. Peter Smith, author of "Doorway to Hell: The Mysteries and Controversies Surrounding the Deadly Haunted Castle Fire at Six Flags Great Adventure," said it's still saddening, looking back on the fire. Locally, municipalities enforce state and local building codes governing fire safety and electrical wiring. They also testified that a ripped "crash pad"[22] in the corridor had exposed foam rubber padding. It was acrid, black and heavy and it stunk. When the buses left the park at midnight, he conducted a head count. The smoke from the Haunted Castle billlowed over an adjacent parking lot, enveloping people walking to and from their cars, Peter Berkery said. Cookie Notice We were hoping to find a smoking gun, but there doesnt appear to be one. It was intended as a test for a more substantial attraction that was to be built the following year. Six Flags Great Adventure is home to 14 world-class coasters, thrilling family rides and a 350-acre drive-thru safari right next door. Free resources: A state panel investigating the fire said that the regulatory system had failed at almost every level, and that the Haunted Castle had been in violation of a dozen state fire codes. I was assigned job as clerk in gift store. Comment sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . On May 11, 1984, smoke filled the haunted castle as actors dressed as butchers and hunchbacks corralled patrons out of the burning building. He also assumed that any sprinkler system installed in the attraction would have been a dry-pipe system, which takes slightly longer to discharge water once activated than a wet-pipe system. A postcard of Haunted Castle, a popular attraction at Six Flags Adventure Park in New Jersey. Neither did four of his fellow students. Families and friends had gathered to have fun alongside thrillseekers trying out the latest rides. [6][7] The castle's trailers were linked by plywood partitions to create a complex maze. Attached to its exterior were painted turrets and towers of plywood on wooden frames intended to emulate a medieval faade. ''That's when my worst fears became reality,'' he said. Published on May 2, 2014. [4] Guests would enter the Castle via the typical switchback guide rails used at amusement parks which led to a gate. Just as seatbelts and airbags are critical safety components in a car, they would not perform as well if connected to a soap box racer.. He said seven of the dead were in one group about 25 feet from a fire exit. The Haunted Castle at Six Flags Great Adventure was a haunted attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Six Flags Great Adventure and its parent company Six Flags were subsequently indicted for manslaughter, accused of recklessly causing the deaths by taking inadequate precautions against fire. Anyone can read what you share. Families and friends had gathered to have fun alongside thrillseekers trying out the latest rides. The Haunted Castle was a spooky walk-through haunted house (as the . Anyone can read what you share. You must have park admission and a Haunted House Add-On to visit our premium haunted houses. Only the red side was operating the night of the fire. No costumes for guest over the age of 12. We thought it would be interesting to look at this again, considering the improvements in modeling over the past 30 years, says Casterline. Scan this QR code to download the app now. He hoped that they were all in private cars, but he kept their names. The park's Haunted Castle horror attraction was consumed by flames and left eight people dead all teenagers and seven more injured. Hurricane Harbor New Jersey. Fleming reviewed his sprinkler application rate and water distribution pattern data, compared it to full-scale testing of a mobile home that had been allowed to burn to near flashover, and concluded that sprinkler discharge would have suppressed the fire. According to court testimony from 14-year-old Joey Iraca, a boy had accidentally set the fire by touching a lighter to the wall mat in the Haunted Castle. [citation needed], Having passed the test, the Haunted Castle was assembled on a new site in 1979, consisting of seventeen interconnected aluminum trailers leased from same manufacturer[5]eight to a side mirroring each otherwith separate corridors and a common control room in the center. Halloween safety tips from NFPA. Flame Like Roman Candle. The Haunted Castle was a popular attraction at Six Flags. The fire would have been detected earlier and perhaps controlled to a tenable situation, he told the court. Those killed included eight teenagers from a group of nine that entered together. However, no one knew until after the fire was extinguished the true toll of the fire. r/CrimeScene is a friendly community for people who are interested in discussing and sharing crime scene photos and information related to them. He said that the cause of the blaze was being investigated by the Ocean County Arson Squad and the New Jersey State Police Arson Squad, and that they would probably not have preliminary findings before Monday. . He told the court that the requirement for smoke detectors had traditionally not been in places where people are awake and are capable of moving., Each individual, all of us, probably carry the two best smoke and heat detectors that there are, and thats our eyes, our ability to see fire, and more importantly, our nose and our ability to smell it, Schirmer said. [4], The layout of the Haunted Castle was two sets of eight semi-trailers lined up in a mirror configuration. [4][8][9], The management of Great Adventure had not expected the success of the attraction and did not pay it much attention. Smith speaks of an "emotionally disturbed" youth with a history of setting fires who "kept playing with a lighter in his pocket" and resembled the boy that was said to have started the fire. Strobe lights gave glances of the grim scene. ''I just thank God we all made it home. Dr. Corrigan said he would release the rest of the names today and tomorrow. As the thirtieth anniversary of the Haunted Castle fire approached, Fairchild, now manager and senior associate of fire protection and life safety at Ballinger, an architectural/engineering firm in Philadelphia, decided to take another look at the event. Come ride exclusive rides, visit haunted houses, & get ready to party after dark. He said they were comforting each other and talking about a single funeral for all five teen-agers. "Fire safety and evacuation plans are submitted, with trained employees and staff conducting fire drills in case of an emergency.". The work by Fairchild and Casterline is the latest chapter in a saga that began with the tragic deaths of eight young people on a spring evening in 1984. He wanted to use state-of-the-art computer modeling to analyze the growth rate, potential sprinkler response times, water delivery times, maximum heat release rates, and tenability criteria of the fire to see if he could reach a definitive answer on the sprinkler question. A makeshift plywood wall six feet high hid the rubble yesterday. [4][10] Approximately 29 guests were in the attraction at the time. The indictment also charged two park executives, the general manager at the time of the fire and his predecessor, with manslaughter for reckless conduct in ignoring repeated warnings of safety violations.[20]. Glenn Vallach, a spokesman for the park, said no new evidence had been found. . The boy told the police that he had been befriended by a fourteen-year-old boy at the castle's entrance. All posts must contain accurate, unbiased information and adhere to the rules found below. But while they agree with Fleming that sprinkler control would have been effective, they found that the activation time was much more difficult to predict. Throughout the evening there was confusion about the fire's toll. reddit This thread is archived . This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Six Flags Great Adventure has new ownership and an entirely new management team since the early 1980s, when it was owned by Bally's Manufacturing. The one survivor later said they had thought the smoke was part of the amusement. Officials at the Franklin K. Lane High School said they believed that four of the other victims were friends of Mr. Valentine - three classmates at Lane and one from the Automotive High School in Queens. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. There they were reassembled and would continue to run from 1979 through 1982. Now the . Another of the dead was a few dozen feet away from the group, and also within 25 feet of a fire exit. The New Jersey Uniform Fire Code also requires a certificate of occupancy be obtained before certain attractions are opened to the public. The foam-covered walls ignited, and the fire, fueled by the plywood and other materials, spread rapidly. A makeshift plywood wall six feet high hid the rubble yesterday. [10], Only one side of the structure, utilizing 9 of the 17 trailers, was occupied at the time of the fire. We were planning a big party, and most of the discussion was about the appropriateness of having a celebration, he says. Great Adventure Inc. and its parent company, the Six Flags Corporation of Chicago, are on trial on charges of aggravated manslaughter. Using FDS, they were better able to predict when the design fire would become oxygen limited. [4][30][31], The two park executives charged separately with manslaughter avoided trial and possible imprisonment by entering a pretrial intervention program that allowed them to perform community service. Fleming could only calculate operating times before water was deliveredDETACT could not model suppressionbut Fairchild and Casterline could model sprinklers directly into FDS. Brett Bodner: 732-643-4223; bbodner@gannett.com, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The original Haunted House was built prior to the fall "shoulder season"[1] of 1978 to boost attendance and as a test for building a larger facility the following year. ''That's when my mind began wondering if something was wrong,'' Mr. Damesek said. The trailers housed two separate Haunted Castle attractions, mirror images of each other, which operated simultaneously during peak times. The US Sun has contacted Six Flags for comment. Haunted Castle fire (1984) A day at Six Flags Great Adventure has been a rite of passage for generations of Jersey youth, but there's a dark chapter in that legacy of fun -- the deadly fire at . [43], Smith also says that diagrams[6] of the castle and its exits used in the trial were inaccurate, and did not show a metal fence erected to protect actors from hostile guests, something that would have made escape more difficult, and was found at the scene. According to news reports of the trial, no such boy was ever found, and no other witness testified to seeing such a boy. Using dental records, a pay stub, three class rings, a neckchain, school identification cards and park passes, the authorities have identified the seven young men and one woman, who all died of smoke inhalation. Years later, while reading about fire modeling, Fairchild stumbled across Flemings report. The blaze occurred the day before Fairchilds tenth birthday, and he recalls the adults around him buzzing about the nearby fire and loss of life. [17][18], The panel said the state's Uniform Construction Code[19] required the owners to install smoke detectors and several other common safety devices before the castle opened. Code changes prompted by the Haunted Castle fire were far-reaching, In the 1988 edition, a new section, Special Provisions for Special Amusement Buildings, was added. In other words, it is necessary that water hit high enough on the walls to prevent fire spread, and it is also necessary that the sprinkler operate fast enough to knock the fire down and maintain tenability limits in that space of origin.. May 11, 1984: Eight teenage visitors were trapped and killed when the Haunted Castle attraction was destroyed by fire.