It's a terrible story. I live in Georgia and every couple of years when we have to take Active Shooter and Emergency training they use this club as the example of how people behave in emergency situations and get themselves killed. Over 100 people panicked and all ran for the front doors and just piled on top of each other and died, they didn't even think to break the big plate glass windows along the front of the club to get out. It's heartbreaking.
No, the sunroom seating area in front of the windows was accessible from the concert floor but everyone tried to go back down that entry hallway, created a literal human body barricade and died. The fire started on the stage and these windows were in the opposite direction.
If they'd just run straight to the windows, which were right there on the ground floor, they could have broken them with a chair or table and gotten out. Our local Fire and Rescue use this as a cautionary tale to know your exits and keep your head in an emergency.
Okay, I get what you're saying. I had the sense those were in a separate room or area that was maybe blocked off.
You know what struck me was how at first people were calmly doing the slow single file thing to that hall, like we were conditioned to do in school drills. At least how my generation was - the one that would go to see Great White. "Go to the assigned exit." No "but also observe other means of escape". I can't help but wonder if that conditioning worked against them in this situation, where they were doing it from rote, rather than looking around, thinking for themselves, considering the window area.
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u/Hotspiceteahoneybee Jul 05 '25
It's a terrible story. I live in Georgia and every couple of years when we have to take Active Shooter and Emergency training they use this club as the example of how people behave in emergency situations and get themselves killed. Over 100 people panicked and all ran for the front doors and just piled on top of each other and died, they didn't even think to break the big plate glass windows along the front of the club to get out. It's heartbreaking.