The guide rails for the waiting lines were left over from the previous ride that had been on the site, Alpen Blitz. The boy told the police that he had been befriended by a fourteen-year-old boy at the castle's entrance. [4][41], An independent film titled Doorway to Hell? One expert told the court that, in his opinion, sprinklers would have made no difference in the loss of lifean otherwise predictable observation on behalf of the defense, except that it was made by the chair of the NFPA Technical Committee on Automatic Sprinklers, who at the time also happened to be the chair of NFPAs Board of Directors. [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. NFPAs Bouchard, testifying on behalf of the prosecution, said that sprinklers or smoke alarms might have allowed the fire to be detected earlier, perhaps allowing the victims, none of whom was found in the room of fire origin, to escape. Court testimonyheard how the group had been confused by a fake door which was not an exit but instead a closet. You must have park admission and a Haunted House Add-On to visit our premium haunted houses. The simulation is run, and the algorithms in the model account for the various fire effectshydrodynamic, combustion, heat conduction, suppression, detection, and morethat influence each other. [4] Guests would enter the Castle via the typical switchback guide rails used at amusement parks which led to a gate. Hurricane Harbor New Jersey. 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. Privacy Policy. The prosecutor exonerated the older youth, who has never been identified, of any criminal wrongdoing. What was supposed to be a fun event for a group of teens quickly turned into a nightmare. ''Hey, Sammy,'' he called to his friend, Samuel Valentine, ''have a good time. . FDS is known as a field model, where all physical objects, including obstructions, vents, fans, and persons, are entered into the model and given appropriate properties. Fire consumed a foam pad inside the Haunted Castle and spread through the structure. [28] His testimony was later criticised by other fire-safety experts as undermining efforts to advance sprinkler legislation. The foam-covered walls ignited, and the fire, fueled by the plywood and other materials, spread rapidly. The chairman of the New Jersey Fire Safety Commission, State Senator John Caufield, Democrat of Essex, said yesterday he would order a special public hearing into the fire and the deaths. 10 Oct 1966 - 11 May 1984. . Yesterday at the park was Family Christian Day, and as thousands attended the amusements, the investigators remained puzzled about what had caused the blaze. Nicola Caiazza, Suzette Elliott and Tina Genovese from Victory Christian School also died, according to The Queens Chronicle. 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. '', ''Yeah, I'm going to have fun,'' Mr. Valentine, 17, called back, with a teasing grin. He was joined on the project by Brad Casterline, a project manager at FSC, Inc., an engineering firm in Overland Park, Kansas, who contributed experience in fire and panic egress modeling. The response to Chet Schirmers Haunted Castle testimony was savage and swift, Schirmer also testified that shouts of Fire! were preferable to smoke alarms in occupied buildings, according to The New York Times, because such alarms might be misinterpreted. They told the jury that after five years of semiannual inspections, the devices were not in place when the attraction burned down. He remembers responding to the fire and says he couldn't tell the difference between the prop skeletons and what was real. *Separate admission required. An additional trailer housed the control room, which accessed both sides of the attraction. JACKSON For more than four decades, people have gone to Six Flags Great Adventure for a day of fun, riding roller coasters, playing boardwalk-style games and taking part in other amusements. Her group yelled "Fire!" The interest was due in part to some of the fundamental questions that arose in its aftermathprimarily as part of an ensuing criminal trialand to the surprising answers generated by those questions. 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 . I was assigned job as clerk in gift store. 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. "At first the smoke was coming out of the top, and then it began to pour out of the haunted house front door. 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. [4][8][9], The management of Great Adventure had not expected the success of the attraction and did not pay it much attention. In other words, I have an honest uncertainty as to whether sprinklers under these circumstances would have saved the lives. Furthermore, he said, considering the early stages at which the fire was discovered in this particular instance, the installation of smoke detectors or an alarm system would not have had an effect on the ultimate outcome.. . 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. Years later, while reading about fire modeling, Fairchild stumbled across Flemings report. Archived post. TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) _ A jury acquitted Great Adventure amusement park and its parent company, Six Flags Corp., of manslaughter and aggravated manslaughter Saturday in the fire deaths of eight teen-agers in a haunted house. [27] A top fire-safety official testifying for the defense said that sprinklers and smoke detectors might have saved part of the structure, but would not have saved lives because by then "you would have had lethal combustion products throughout the facility" suffocating the victims. The cause of death for the eight was later determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. I realized he laid the groundwork for a great comparisonhe beat the path, and we retraced his steps., For their analysis, Fairchild and Casterline used computer models, courtroom testimony, and any other information they could find. Heavy smoke kept the parks firefighters from advancing into the attraction, and a defensive attack was begun at the rear. Saturday morning Mr. Damesek began calling the 33 homes. 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. Glenn Vallach, a spokesman for the park, said no new evidence had been found. On May 11, 1984, a fire destroyed the attraction, trapping and killing eight teenagers. [25], The defense denied any culpability, saying that company executives had carefully considered all safety recommendations, acting on some and rejecting others, and contending that the fire was arson and that no precautions would have saved lives in a fire where an accelerant was used. A fire is a complex reaction where one variable can have a great influence on another. Because the fire was located on a wall, DETACT increased the heat release rate by a factor of two. He died last year in North Carolina at the age of 84. Both jurors held the two companies blameless because they had been told by township officials that they needed no permit or sprinklers. Fairchild and Casterline modeled the exhaust fan directly into FDS. 1973 Washington Reid School PTA "haunted house" fire in which one half hour before a PTA-built "haunted house" maze was to be open for children's use, the maze caught fire killing one of the PTA volunteer members helping to . Fleming began by determining that a 6-megawatt fire was the minimum required to reach flashover in the area of fire origin. There was nothing there. When the fire was declared under control, at 7:45 p.m., 15 mutual aid companies had responded with 300 firefighters. Peak attendance would cause the park to open both sides, allowing thousands of visitors to enjoy the attraction. ''I saw security guards running, and parents running and an incredible amount of smoke rising toward the sky,'' said Peter Berkery, a 22-year-old law student who saw the blaze. Tickets & Passes. When the buses pulled into the school yard at 1 A.M., many parents who had heard the news on television were waiting nervously. There was a string of deaths and accidents at Six Flags in the 80s - Action Park gets all the nostalgia "lol it's so dangerous" but Six Flags had a much worse reputation for . Four months after the fire, Great Adventure, Inc. and its parent company, Six Flags Corp., were charged by the state of New Jersey with aggravated manslaughter, as were two park managers. The fire and its aftermath New York. 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. [34][35][36][37], Immediately after the fire, several other New Jersey haunted house attractions were closed pending fire inspections, including the multi-trailer "Doorway to Hell" on Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, also built by Toms River Haunted House Company. Glenn Vallach, a spokesman for the park, said no new evidence had been found. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. When the buses left the park at midnight, he conducted a head count. The park is about 60 miles southwest of New York City in central New Jersey. Suddenly, he saw a flame shoot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Great Adventure Inc. and its parent company, the Six Flags Corporation of Chicago, are on trial on charges of aggravated manslaughter. Spooky + Safe "We have invested substantial resources in the safety of our operations and the training of our staff, and now we operate one of the safest family-entertainment facilities in the country," Fitzgerald said. Instead, we can offer probabilities., He stresses that its not game over, though. He added that some of the youths at the park had come to hear a concert by the rock and roll group Golden Earring. Fright Fest is back and spookier than ever! 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. ''Some kids started running toward the haunted house,'' he said, ''but most didn't. On the topic of sprinkler suppression and its impact on life safety, however, Fairchild and Casterline hit a snag. One parkgoer said: "Thick black smoke was billowing up.. Trial by Fire Criminal charges of aggravated manslaughter were filed against the company, but a Superior Court jury in Toms River returned a not-guilty verdict. Years later, while reading about fire modeling, Fairchild stumbled across Flemings report. But it did lead to new fire safety procedures, including sprinkler systems. Additional comment actions. Circles indicate people in and around the attraction when the fire began. The US Sun has contacted Six Flags for comment. The bodies were charred beyond recognition. Next door, Hurricane Harbor water park features 25 thrill slides, massive wave pool, lazy river and water play areas. He also questioned the defenses assumption that it would take a full minute for water to reach the sprinklers in the dry-pipe system once they opened. They also fascinated him. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Using FDS, they were better able to predict when the design fire would become oxygen limited. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. See Holiday In The Park Dates . A place for forensic students, medical examiners, morticians and other morbidly interested individuals to respectfully discuss content relevant to a crime scene. The Scene Fleming determined sprinkler discharge densities, which Fairchild and Casterline confirmed. [4], The layout of the Haunted Castle was two sets of eight semi-trailers lined up in a mirror configuration. The tragedy began as a happy outing. . The interior of the attraction was constructed of plywood and wood stud partitions, with plywood ceilings suspended below the trailer roofs. and our ,Actors dressed as witches and monsters jump out to frighten visitors. 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. According to The New York Times, the indictment charged the companies with reckless conduct amounting to extreme indifference to human life for failing to take adequate fire prevention measures., At the trial, Chet Schirmer, president of Schirmer Engineering Corporation and chair of both the NFPA Technical Committee on Automatic Sprinklers and the NFPA Board of Directors, along with Rolf Jensen, president of Rolf Jensen and Associates, appeared as defense witnesses. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Fitzgerald said the park's in-house fire-safety team routinely checks for hazards and inspects all buildings and equipment. 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. Fleming then compared residential test data to confirm that the combustible walls could create a 6-megawatt fire. Haunted Castle actually consisted of two separate attractions, mirror images of each other (depicted here in blue and red), connected by a control room. He said seven of the dead were in one group about 25 feet from a fire exit. 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. Some mothers were crying. The other three were under 18 years of age, according to a hospital spokesman. In response to the verdict, and finding it difficult to believe that a sprinkler system would have made no difference, the board of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) asked Russell P. Fleming to prepare an analysis of expected sprinkler performance to see if it would support the Schirmer opinion. [citation needed], At the end of the 1978 season, the four trailers were taken away by the manufacturer and sent to Six Flags Over Mid-America (now known as Six Flags St. Louis) in Eureka, Missouri. He said he planned to make an announcement about the deaths to the 4,200 students this morning. Were still studying it, he says. Park President John Fitzgerald said the fire was a terrible tragedy. [4] The lessee was responsible for the construction of a faade that would create the illusion of a haunted house. Roughly 30 people were in the attraction when the fire began. The contents fascinated him. [4] The castle lacked a building permit, a certificate of occupancy, fire and smoke detectors, and sprinklers despite repeated recommendations by the park's own safety consultants. ''I'm going to pick up a lot of girls over there.''. They also testified that a ripped "crash pad"[22] in the corridor had exposed foam rubber padding. Mr. Damesek called the families yesterday morning to offer sympathy. ''These kids had the whole world ahead of them. Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, NJ. Published on May 2, 2014. Crosses indicate where fatalities were discovered. She originally thought it was part of the show but realized the flames were real after smelling smoke. "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," Smith said. State Police Maj. Louis Taranto said arson had not been ruled out. ''It was still smoking.''. At the trial, held in Toms River, New Jersey, in 1985, Chet Schirmer, president of Schirmer Engineering Corporation and chair of NFPAs Board of Directors as well as its Technical Committee on Automatic Sprinklers, set off a storm of controversy in the fire protection industry when he told the court that sprinklers would have saved the property but would not have saved the lives of the eight teenagers who died in the fire. It's not a happy Mother's Day for them.''. The deadliest theme park disaster ever, however, came not on a rollercoaster, but inside a US haunted house. ", Hours after the blaze, then police commissioner Richard Borystold The Washington Post: "We don't know if they were men or women - that's how badly the bodies were burned.". Theyre really just another piece of the overall building safety puzzle, and theyre dependent on the other pieces theyre attached to. A hotline number - (201) 928-2000 - was set up at the popular amusement park to answer questions about the blaze and the victims. The Haunted Castle at Six Flags Great Adventure was a haunted attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson Township, New Jersey. During his tenure as chair of the committee, for example, new standards such as NFPA 13D, Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes, NFPA 13R, Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Residential Occupancies Up To and Including Four Stories in Height, and NFPA 25, Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, came into existence. Great Escape. [26] A defense forensic pathologist said arson might be the cause, saying that "high levels" of benzene in the victims' blood "could indicate some sinister reason for the fire". On May 11, 1984, smoke filled the haunted castle as actors dressed as butchers and hunchbacks corralled patrons out of the burning building. Comment sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . After crossing a drawbridge over the surrounding moat, visitors entered the castle and felt their way along a 450-foot (140m)-long convoluted path of dim corridors, occasionally being startled when employee actors dressed as mummies, vampires and other creatures jumped from hiding. She also said she had seen him heading toward the haunted house. Park officials then tried to identify the bodies and did not announce the deaths until about 10:45 P.M. Four of the injured were identified as Patricia Lynch, 18 years old, of Yorktown Heights, N.Y.; Joan Minter, 20, of Brooklyn; Stephanie Peterson, 20, of Brooklyn, and Keith Berkery, 18, of Whippany, N.J., Peter Berkery's brother, who was overcome by smoke in a parking lot next to the Haunted Castle. The park's Haunted Castle horror attraction was consumed by flames and left eight people dead all teenagers and seven more injured. reddit This thread is archived . 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. The Haunted Castle was a popular attraction at Six Flags. 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. 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. I realized he laid the groundwork for a great comparisonhe beat the path, and we retraced his steps., The response to Chet Schirmers Haunted Castle testimony was savage and swift. The materials used on the walls included foam rubber, various fabrics and plastics, plywood and tar paper. [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. In turn, the state's Department of Community Affairs is responsible for ensuring that municipalities enforce the codes. They further testified that their pleas for safety precautions had been rejected by management as too expensive. Bottom line: So far, at least, even with all their whiz-bang technology, Fairchild and Casterline cannot provide a definitive answer to the question, Would sprinklers have prevented eight teens from dying in the Haunted Castle in 1984? Its just as difficult to say if Schirmers opinion was wrong. . A Castle employee notified the Great Adventure Fire Brigade at 6:35 p.m. En route, the fire captain noticed the heavy smoke and told park security to notify the Jackson Township Police Department and start implementing the parks mutual aid plan. 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.
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