Denmark Place fire 16/08/1980
The Denmark Place fire occurred on 16 August 1980 at 18 Denmark Place in central London. The incident, which was caused by arson, resulted in the deaths of 37 individuals representing eight nationalities. The majority of those who died were of Spanish or Latin American origin and were patrons of two unlicensed bars operating within the building. At the time, The Sunday Times characterised the event as potentially “the worst mass murder in British history.”
At the time of the fire, two unlicensed drinking establishments were operating on the upper floors of the premises. These were the Spanish Rooms, a late-night venue frequented by local residents including Irish and Jamaican immigrants, and Rodo’s, also known as El Dandy, a salsa club popular among South American immigrants. Entry to both venues was tightly controlled; patrons were required to call up from the street in order to gain access to a key. The sole means of entry was through a locked front door leading to a staircase that terminated at a shared landing.
Access to the lower-floor bar was provided directly from this landing, while access to the upper-floor club was via a fire escape that had been enclosed with plywood. As both venues were unlicensed, they were concealed from external view by boarded-up windows, and the door on Denmark Street that led to the fire escape had been bolted shut. The existence of the clubs was known to the Metropolitan Police, and plans had been made to close both establishments on Monday, 18 August. A farewell celebration was reportedly being held in the building over the weekend at the time of the fire.
Denmark Place arson: Why people are still searching for answers 35 years on from one of the biggest mass murders in our history
Weeks from now, a demolition team will advance on 18 Denmark Place in central London. Part of a row of doomed houses on an alley off Charing Cross Road, the three-storey address will be consumed by the vast Crossrail development at Tottenham Court Road. As it crumbles, the last physical evidence of a forgotten disaster – one of the worst crimes of the 20th century – will turn to dust.
Denmark Place fire: Blaze was Britain's worst MASS MURDER - so why has it been forgotten?
IT WAS a brutal act of arson described at the time as the “worst mass murder in British history” when two clubs in London’s Soho were set ablaze because of a squabble over change, leaving 37 dead.
London's Forgotten Disasters: The Denmark Place Fire
On the evening of 16 August 1980, a fire ripped through two nightclubs on Denmark Street. 37 people were killed. This was London’s worst fire since the Second World War, more deadly even than the famous King’s Cross fire seven years later. Although the conflagration took place just yards from Centre Point on one of London’s most famous streets, and within the lifetime of many readers, we suspect that few will know about it. Wikipedia makes no mention. Nor does the London Encyclopedia. (Update: since we wrote this story, information has been added to the Wikipedia entry.)
‘They belonged somewhere’: the forgotten victims of one of London’s deadliest fires
Plaque to 37 victims of arson attack on Soho club to be unveiled 40 years after tragedy that became a footnote in history
You don’t know about the Denmark Place fire because its 37 victims didn’t count
One of my earliest memories is hearing about the fire that killed 31 people at King’s Cross underground station in 1987. It rightly triggered a public inquiry, safety improvements, memorial services – and the installation of plaques in the station and a nearby church. Diana, Princess of Wales visited the scene.
LFB 150 - Denmark Place: One of the deadliest fires in the capital since World War II
On this day in 1980, a deliberately started blaze in central London claimed the lives of 37 people.
It is thought more than 150 people were inside 18 Denmark Place, which was home to two unlicensed bars – The Spanish Rooms and the Rodo’s – when and set fire to the three-storey building.
