1964 — May 23, Samoan Fire-Dance Fire, All Hallows Parish Hall, San Francisco, CA– 17
–~20 San Francisco Department of Public Health. Annual Report 1963&4. 9-3-1964, p. 55.
— 17 National Fire Protection Association. Journal of the NFPA, Vol. 59, p. 17.
— 17 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.
— 17 NFPA. “San Francisco Church Social Hall Fire.” NFPA Quarterly, 58/2, Oct 1964, p103.
— 17 Oakland Tribune. “Church Fire Disaster Gave S.F. Tough Emergency Test.” 7-29-64, 22.
— 17 Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “Church Fire Toll Climbs.” 6-18-1964, p. 1.
Narrative Information
NFPA: “On the evening of Saturday, May 23, 1964, approximately 250 persons were attending a fund-raising entertainment in the social hall of All Hallows Catholic Church in San Francisco, California. The highlight of the evening was to have been a Samoan flaming sword dance. While the star performer was readying his act in the wings by saturating a sword from an open pan of gasoline, the gasoline was accidentally ignited. Someone backstage grabbed a pressurized water extinguisher and directed the water stream into the flaming pan of gasoline, splattering the burning gasoline over the combustible walls and floor of the stage. The audience watched stunned for a few minutes as the fire gained headway; then they panicked. Seventeen persons died of burns caused when the flames spread throughout the hall, feeding on the gasoline and the combustible fiberboard interior finish.. [p. 103]
“….The Samoan Catholic Benefit Society had engaged the hall for a fund-raising entertainment which was to last from 9:30 pm to midnight. A counter, or bar, was installed in the northeast corner of the hall just outside the kitchen, and tables and chairs were set up to accommodate the approximately 250 guests. The folding tables with metal legs and hardboard and wood tops and the metal folding chairs left only narrow passageways and partially blocked the exits. T ticketseller’s table in the vestibule also partially blocked that exit….
“In preparation for the dance, the man [fire-dance performer] poured a gallon of gasoline into an open pan in a stage wing and proceeded to saturate the porous plastic coating which held the gasoline to the blade of his sword. His ordinary routine was to light two candles on the stage with a match before starting the dance and then ignite the gasoline on the sword when he went on stage to begin the dance. This particular evening, he found that he had no matches, and, while he was still standing with his sword over the pan of gasoline, he asked if anyone had a match. Thinking he wanted the sword ignited, a member of the orchestra pulled a cigarette lighter from his pocket and ignited the sword, which was near the open pan of gasoline. The vapors from the gasoline in the pan immediately ignited.
“The blaze was confined to the pan of gasoline until a second member of the orchestra grabbed a pressurized water-type extinguisher on the stage and began to operate it. The moment the jet of water hit the pan of gasoline, the flaming gasoline splattered across the stage and onto the combustible walls and floor. Some of the performers fled the stage, and some of the audience made a movement toward the main exit, but most of them watched the fire as if spellbound. A few performers who were still on the stage attempted for a moment to beat out the flames, but were unsuccessful as the flames spread rapidly over the combustible finish and decorations.
“Suddenly, as if at a signal, the audience panicked and started a mad scramble to get out the door through which they had entered the building. Tables were upended and chairs kicked over in the frenzy to reach the main exit. One table, on which there were bowls of punch, was upset, spilling punch over the floor and causing people to slip and fall. The doors were open, but the people were so jammed into the vestibule that they had trouble getting out through the doorway. Several persons who were outside when the fire started compounded the confusion by trying to get in by the same doorway. Only a few of those inside thought to use the other exits. Another few went out the windows….
“…Meanwhile, a man at the bar took the standpipe hose from the rack at the northeast corner of the hall and strung it out across the hall to within 15 feet of the stage but quickly abandoned the hose as flames swept along the fiberboard ceiling overhead. When he dropped the hose, fire had already progressed about a third of the way across the ceiling from the stage.
“The flames involved the combustible interior finish and decorations in the hall so fast that 5 persons were trapped and fatally burned and 82 were injured before they could escape. One man, who had been sitting near the main exit, had escaped easily, but returned to the hall and rescued a small boy. They boy survived, but the rescuer was so severely burned that he died two days later. Besides the rescuer and the five who died inside the building, eleven of the injured also died of their burns within the next several days…. [pp.104-107]
“Following the tragic fire, both the fire department and a coroner’s jury recommended that specific local ordinances be passed to prohibit the use of open flames in performances or displays in all indoor places of public assembly other than church altars. They also recommended that the fire department more actively inform the public about the hazards of open flames and enforce the existing general prohibitions against using open flames in public places.
“This tragic fire once again demonstrates the appalling lack of understanding of ordinary fire hazards by the general public. The planned use of swinging, slashing flaming swords on a small, combustible stage; a gallon of gasoline in an open pan in a crowded room; the ignorance of flipping on a cigarette lighter in the presence of gasoline vapors; directing a water hose stream directly into a flaming pan of gasoline; crowding a room with tables and chairs, leaving only small passageways between tables and partially blocking all exits; combustible interior finish in a place of public assembly; combustible decorations; panic and other human failures – all came together in another series of circumstances that triggered tragedy.” (NFPA. “San Francisco Church Social Hall Fire.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 58, No. 2, October 1964, pp. 103-108.)
SF Dept. of Health: “All Hallows Fire Disaster. On May 23, 1964 at about 11:00 p.m., San Francisco was struck by the severe fire disaster at the All Hallows Church Hall. Over one hundred people were severely burned in this fire. Of these approximately 20 died of their injuries. Without notice, the emergency facilities of the hospital were put to a severe test of caring for approximately 75% of these people. Despite the lateness of the hour, the hospital and its personnel tested their ability to handle such a tragic accident. Effectively and efficiently, they met every demand of this situation.” (San Francisco Department of Public Health. Annual Report 1963&4. 9-3-1964, 55.)
Newspapers
May 24: “San Francisco (UPI) — Fire raged through a Roman Catholic Church parish hall filled with young people having a party last night, leaving at least six persons dead in a stampede to the exists.
“The injured were being rushed to hospitals in all available vehicles from All Hallows church in the southern section of the city. Fire officials said 25 to 30 were known to have suffered severe burns and a doctor at a receiving hospital said 50 victims had been admitted and more were coming.” (Sunday New Mexican, Santa Fe. “Bulletin.” 5-24-1964, 1.)
May 25: “San Francisco (AP) – A seventh victim died today of burns suffered in a fire that swept the parish hall of All Hallows Catholic Church during a Samoan fire dance Saturday night. The victims were members of the city’s Samoan community. Seventy-five other persons were badly burned and 12 were said to be still in critical condition today.
“One of the three Samoan fire dancers who were performing when the fire broke out said a misunderstanding triggered the blaze and ensuing panic. David Quiane, for five years a night club fire dancer, told newsmen he intended to borrow a book of matches to light the gasoline-soaked sword he whirls in his act. A drummer in the band, he said, ‘whipped out a lighter and set the sword on fire,’ and a bowl of gasoline ignited with a roar.
“Once the blaze had begun an unidentified man sprayed water into the gasoline, witnesses said. The blaze flared up. Members of the Samoan Catholic Benevolent Society rushed for a front exit.
“William Murray, fire chief, said there would have been no disaster if the group hadn’t panicked. Fleeing men and women, he said, clawed at one another savagely.
“Charles R. Broock, 60, a member of the AH Hallows Dads’ Club, said he grabbed a fire hose from the wall. He, another man and a youth, he said, took the hose to within 15 feet of the fire, when ‘whooosh! — all hell broke loose’.” (Huron Daily Plainsman, SD. “Samoan Fire Dance Starts Blaze Killing 7.” 5-25-1964, 6.)
June 1: “San Francisco (AP) – The 10th victim of the Samoan fire-dance disaster in the parish hall of All Hallows Catholic Church last Saturday night died in a San Francisco hospital Thursday. Fee Tafea, 26, a private policeman in San Francisco, had suffered burns over 90 per cent of his body. Five died at the scene and over 100 were injured. Some still remain in critical condition.
“The fire started during a fire-dance – part of a Samoan holiday celebration.” (Express, Lock Haven, PA. “Fire-dance Disaster Takes 10th Victim.” 6-1-1964, p. 2.)
June 3: “San Francisco (AP) – James Edwards, 20, died Tuesday, the 12th victim of the All Hallows Church parish all fire May 23. Fire broke out when a flaming sword used in a Samoan fire dance ignited a curtain. More than 100 persons were burned. Five died at the scene and seven others have died in hospitals.” (Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “12th Church Fire Victim.” 6-3-1964, p. 30.)
June 8: “San Francisco (AP) – The All Hallow’s Church parish hall fire May 23 has claimed another life. The thirteenth victim was Lillian Malua, 13, of San Francisco, who died Saturday night….Eight persons have died in hospitals since the fire.” (Corpus Christi Times, TX. “13th Person Dies of Fire at Church.” 6-8-1964, p. 12-C.)
June 9: “San Francisco (AP) — Fatalities stand at 15 and damage suits at $3.4 million in the wake of the May 23 All Hallows Church fire. The 14th and 15th victims died Monday from burns suffered in the blaze which began during a Samoan fire dance. Mahuia Sotoa, 29, and Aouluili Vaesau, 10, died in San Francisco hospitals. Six persons were killed in the fire and nine have died from injuries.
“A suit asking $1.7 million on behalf of two widows was filed in Superior Court against the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco….” (Daily Review, Hayward, CA. “SF Church Death Toll Rises.” 6-9-1964, p. 5.)
June 12: “San Francisco (AP) – An inquest has cleared fire and church officials of blame in the
May 23 All Hallows Church fire that took 16 lives. A coroner’s jury ruled Thursday that the deaths were accidental. The verdict was issued after a fire inspector testified that the crowd was largely Samoan and was entranced by the flaming sword of a dancer when it flared out of control. ‘This is the custom,’ said arson inspector George Lucas, referring to a Samoan tendency to be fascinated by fire.
“The jury held that all exits were open, but that spectators jammed a single door and made mass escape impossible after the sword of Samoan dancer David Quiane ignited gasoline. The dancer testified he asked the crowd for a match to light his sword, but that someone offered up a flaming cigarette lighter instead.” (The Times, San Mateo, CA. “Church Officials Cleared of Blame.” 6-12-1964, p. 8.
June 18: “San Francisco (AP) – The death of Mrs. Hilyard Lefiti, 40, raised the All Hallows Church fire toll to 17 and left a 2-year-old boy without a parent. The woman’s husband, Tau, 37, perished two days after he was burned when the flaming sword of a Samoan dancer ignited with gasoline. Mrs. Lefiti died Wednesday at St. Luke’s Hospital.
“Eleven persons are still hospitalized with burns as a result of the May 23 tragedy. One remains in critical condition.” (Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “Church Fire Toll Climbs.” 6-18-1964, p. 1.)
July 29: “By Associated Press. A ritual fire dance at a Saturday night church party flashed into disaster May 23. The toll: 17 dead, 86 injured.
“How well did the city’s emergency services cope with the unexpected? Firemen extinguished the blaze in 30 minutes but the frame building was gutted. The crowd of more than 200 had panicked, jamming exits. Dead and injured were all around. Within three minutes after the first fire alarm, ambulances were racing to the scene, a recreation hall of the All Hallows Church, where the Samoan Catholic Benevolent Society was holding a fund-raising dance. In less than half an hour all the injured had been taken to hospitals. Five died in the flames; 12 others later. Thirty-two still hospitalized more than a month afterward were expected to recover.
“City and private ambulances and police cars transported the victims. When city hospital facilities became jammed, the injured were diverted to others. ‘Procedures,’ said Dr. Ellis D. Sox, director of public health ‘did not comply in all details with the protocol set up under various disaster plans.’ He meant that red tape was slashed. It unquestionably saved lives since some 40 of the victims suffered burns, mostly second and third degree, ranging from 30 per cent to 100 per cent of their bodies.
“John Holmes, central booking steward of the San Francisco Public Health Department, called Dr. Sox at 10:50 p.m. – 25 minutes after the first alarm — for permission to summon private ambulances. But Holmes already had them carrying the injured. ‘I supported his action,’ Dr. Sox said. The public health director was notified of the disaster within 15 minutes of the moment a bowl of gasoline, intended for a fiery sword dance ritual, burst into flames that raced up draperies and across rafters. He hurried to the city’s Central Emergency Hospital], then to private St. Luke’s to set up headquarters for sorting and transferring the injured.
“It wasn’t until after midnight that Dr. Sox found time to ask Mayor John Shelley’s official permission under his disaster powers to use private ambulances and private hospitals. ‘This action already had been taken by me,’ Dr. Sox said. ‘The mayor approved,’’ For about two hours, the admitting services, recovery rooms and intensive care wards of San Francisco General Hospital and St Luke’s were busy treating patients and preparing them for transfer to other facilities. ‘Many patients transferred already had tracheotomy breathing tubes inserted, and were receiving intravenous therapy in transfer,’ De. Sox said. ‘All of them had received sedation, and their bodies were covered with dressings.’
“Eight other private hospitals were pressed into service. St. Luke’s drew special praise from Dr. Sox and William Conroy, San Francisco Disaster Corps director. ‘The first thing we knew.’ said Joseph Zim. St. Luke’s administrator, ‘there were 35 badly burned people in our back yard.’ But, as with some other hospitals, it was change-of-shift time, so double staffs of doctors, nurses and orderlies were on hand and worked together through the emergency. Zim is ‘rather proud’’ of the way 250-bed St. Luke’s responded. Interns and medical students showed up to help out. Hastily summoned doctors arrived within minutes.
“Conroy directed the smooth operation from the fire scene. Earliest firemen and ambulance drivers on the scene had recognized the extent of the disaster, and Conroy was called in less than six minutes. Like other officials, he was pleased with the way the emergency was handled — but far from complacent. ‘We must learn from these things,’ he said. ‘We can’t sit back and congratulate ourselves.’ The most difficult aspect of the disaster, he pointed out, was burns.
“Hard-pressed hospitals traded basic supplies. Cutter Laboratories at Berkeley was told at 2:30 a.m. that additional plasma and intravenous blood fluid were needed. Conroy sent a police department truck to pick them up. A supply center was established at San Francisco General. Dr. Sox later suggested a review of disaster plans for stockpiling of plasma, blood, plaster, bandages, tracheotomy tubes, antibiotics, narcotics and the like.
“Both he and Conroy are urging a disaster radio network linking public and private hospitals. The next disaster, they pointed out, might disrupt telephone communications.
“The Disaster Corps and the American Red Cross met with representatives of the San Francisco Hospital Conference and agreed that the corps would pay for emergency care of casualties for the first 10 days. Medical supplies and equipment alone in that first 10 days amounted to $57,000.
“The Red Cross, assisting 40 families, estimates its total expenditures at $25.000. It has paid for burial plots, and hospital costs beyond the 10-day period, private-duty nurses, and is helping families get back on their feet. Red Cross Director Robert Williams and Ernest C. Reid, president of the Samoan Civic Association, praised the public’s generous response. Some $6,200 has been donated to the victims, and 1,000 persons have given blood. The Purity grocery chain is giving 600 gallons of milk a month for dependents of the victims. Nicholas Daphne, a funeral service owner, supplied caskets and services without charge.
“Dr. Sox said the fire involved the most casualties here since 1,500 were injured celebrating V-J Day. ‘As well as we did with the church fire emergency,’ Dr Sox said, ‘we must do even better next time’.” (Oakland Tribune. “Church Fire Disaster Gave S.F. Tough Emergency Test.” 7-29-1964, 22-X.)
Sources
Corpus Christi Times, TX. “13th Person Dies of Fire at Church.” 6-8-1964, p. 12-C. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=86150026
Daily Review, Hayward, CA. “SF Church Death Toll Rises.” 6-9-1964, p. 5. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/daily-review/1964-06-09/page-5
Express, Lock Haven, PA. “Fire-dance Disaster Takes 10th Victim.” 6-1-1964, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/lock-haven-express/1964-06-01/page-2
Huron Daily Plainsman, SD. “Samoan Fire Dance Starts Blaze Killing 7.” 5-25-1964, 6. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/huron-daily-plainsman/1964-05-25/page-6
National Fire Protection Association. “Bimonthly Fire Record January 1965,” Fire Journal, Vol. 59, No. 1, Jan 1965.
National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996, 2010. Accessed at: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1
National Fire Protection Association. “San Francisco Church Social Hall Fire.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 58, No. 2, October 1964, pp. 103-108.
Oakland Tribune, CA. “Church Fire Disaster Gave S.F. Tough Emergency Test.” 7-29-1964, 22-X. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=31328053
Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “12th Church Fire Victim.” 6-3-1964, p. 30. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/reno-evening-gazette/1964-06-03/page-24
Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “Church Fire Toll Climbs.” 6-18-1964, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=17336947
San Francisco Department of Public Health. Annual Report 1963 & 1964. 9-3-1964. Accessed 11-6-2012 at: http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/san-francisco-calif-dept-of-public-health/annual-report-volume-1962-65-fna.shtml
The Times, San Mateo, CA. “Church Officials Cleared of Blame.” 6-12-1964, p. 8. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=48131660