Chance Held ‘Slim’ for L.A. Club Fire
Calling members of the Los Angeles City Fire Department “the toughest doormen in town,” Fire Chief Donald O. Manning said Monday that the city is in no danger of a fire disaster like the one in New York over the weekend in which 87 people died because of stiff regulations and constant inspections of all public places.
“It could happen here, but the likelihood is very, very slim,” Manning said. “We have some very effective tools in dealing with these problems.”
The chief added that Los Angeles apparently has fewer illegal nightclubs than New York.
So far this year, the Los Angeles Fire Department has shut down 18 nightclubs for overcrowding--four of which were operating illegally, Manning said. The last time a fire killed people at a local nightclub was in 1975, when five people were killed in a blaze at the Mecca Club in South Los Angeles, Manning said.
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