Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire (1986)
Wed Dec 31, 1986
On this day in 1986, striking hotel workers set fire to the Dupont Plaza Hotel in Puerto Rico in an attempt to scare off tourists. The fires burned out of control and killed more than 96 people.
In the weeks leading up to the fire, there was significant labor strife at the Dupont Plaza Hotel. The tension was so great that locals were advising tourists to stay away from the hotel and its casino.
On December 31st, hotel workers voted to go on strike, and three of the labor organizers used chafing fuel to set a storage room on the ground floor on fire.
Although their intent was to merely pressure management into agreeing to union demands, it quickly burned out of control, spreading to the adjacent ballroom and then casino. To prevent theft, hotel managers had locked emergency exits from the casino, and most of the deaths occurred there.
The fire claimed between 96 and 98 lives and caused 140 injuries, becoming the most catastrophic hotel fire in Puerto Rican history and the second deadliest in the history of the United States. The three labor organizers were convicted of murder and sentenced to varying prison terms.
- Date: 1986-12-31
- Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.nfpa.org.
- Tags: #Labor.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org