Today Marks one of the Darkest Days in the History of Indian Cinema.
13 June, 1997 - Uphaar Cinema Delhi - A fire which took 59 lives.
A housefull show of a very popular movie "Border" was going on.
Uphaar Cinema - Single Screen - 2 Levels of Seating - Lower Balcony
1. Fire erupted: 4:55 PM - From a faulty Transformer.
2. Burned all the Parked Cars - Smoke started entering through the Door Gaps & AC Vents of both Balcony & Lower seating Area.
3. 5:05 PM Power Cut-off, people were already suffocating.
4. They tried rushing out, but stairs had no light, no EXIT Signs lit up, nothing was visible. No Fire Alarms.
5. As the power cut off, the auditorium was completely Dark, filled with Smoke.
6. Blocked Exit Doors, Blocked pathways, all due to ~60 extra seats being added into the auditorium.
7. The cinema staff locked some of the entryways from outside to prevent new people from coming in. People used to sneak in, and that was a common thing back then.
8. The problem was that the cinema staff didn't tell the next in-shift that the entryway was locked. Because of their carelessness, no one knew it was locked, and people couldn't get out that way.
The Horrors ended way after 6PM, when Fire was extinguished & patrons were taken to the hospital.
That Day still reminds me how IMPORTANT Fire Safety measures are in an Auditorium, especially big auditoriums like these filled with hundreds of people.
- Proper Layout Planning
- Ample Emergency Exits
- Proper Fire Extinguishing methods thoroughly checked every few weeks.
- Proper Emergency Power-backup so that, just in case, something bad happens, people can find Exits easily, without causing a Stampede.
All these things are the need of the hour, not just for Cinemas but for every Public Gathering Space. A no-compromise.
We all go to the movies to have a good time, to live, to enjoy, to inspire ourselves. No one deserves to have their quality time turn into a nightmare.
My prayers go out to every soul who lost a loved one that day. I hope the lost souls found peace a long time ago.