New Orleans UpStairs Bar fire 1973-06-24 — Incident Report
Fire · Arson · Crowd Evacuation

New OrleansUpStairs Lounge Fire

A deliberately set fire began in or at the stairway serving the second-floor UpStairs Lounge, blocking the normal exit route. Combustible stairway finishes and interior materials contributed to rapid fire spread. Twenty-eight bodies were recovered from the lounge after the fire; additional victims died after escape or in hospital. (exhibits.lgbtran.org)

Date24 June 1973
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
Fatalities32
Injuries12–15 reported
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Incident Overview

What happened

Date: 1973-06-24.

Location: UpStairs / Up Stairs Lounge, second floor of a three-story building at 604 Iberville Street, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The NFPA report describes the location as “at the intersection of Iberville and Chartres Streets in the French Quarter,” on the second floor of a three-story brick, wood-joisted building. (exhibits.lgbtran.org)

Incident name: Louisiana, New Orleans UpStairs Bar fire / UpStairs Lounge fire / UpStairs Lounge arson attack.

A deliberately set fire began in or at the stairway serving the second-floor UpStairs Lounge, blocking the normal exit route. Combustible stairway finishes and interior materials contributed to rapid fire spread. Twenty-eight bodies were recovered from the lounge after the fire; additional victims died after escape or in hospital. (exhibits.lgbtran.org)

Casualty Summary

Known figures

Reported fatalities: 32 fatalities. This figure is consistent across the NFPA report, LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, Historic New Orleans Collection, History, and Axios. (exhibits.lgbtran.org)

Reported injuries: Conflicting. The NFPA report says 12 people were injured, while several later sources report 15 injured. (exhibits.lgbtran.org)

⚠️ Key caution The fatality count is consistent at 32. The injury count varies between 12 and 15 depending on the source and likely counting method.
Review disputed details →

Key Figures

At a glance

0
Fatalities
12–15
Reported injuries
0
Bodies recovered inside
0
Iberville Street

Chronology

Incident sequence

Evening of 24 June 1973
Patrons gathered at the UpStairs Lounge on the second floor of the building at Iberville and Chartres streets.
Fire set at stairway
The NFPA account states that the fire was deliberately set on the stairway of the main entrance, blocking the normal exit route.
Rapid fire spread
Combustible finishes and materials in the stairway and lounge contributed to fast spread, smoke, heat and restricted escape.
Escape and recovery
The NFPA summary records people escaping through a rear door and windows, with 28 bodies recovered inside and further deaths after escape or in hospital.

Operational Factors

Main issues identified

🔥
Deliberately set fire
Multiple sources describe the fire as deliberately set or arson, though no person was convicted.
🚪
Exit route blocked
The normal stairway route was compromised at the point where the fire began.
🏚️
Combustible materials
The NFPA account notes wood paneling, carpet and other combustible finishes.
⚖️
Unsolved case
The case remains described by multiple sources as unsolved, with no conviction.
⚠️ Reporting note Later sources broadly agree on 32 fatalities, but they do not all use the same injury count.

Disputed Details

Conflicting Information

The following issues are not fully settled across the uploaded source material.

Disputed Detail
Number of injuries.

The uploaded source file records conflicting accounts for this detail.

Source 1

Source 1: NFPA report states 12 injured. Full URL: https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/upstairs-lounge-fire/item/114

Source 2

Source 2: History, Axios, and Historic New Orleans Collection commemoration material report at least 15 or 15 injured. Full URLs: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/june-24/upstairs-lounge-arson-new-orleans ; https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2023/06/23/new-orleans-upstairs-lounge-fire ; https://hnoc.org/events/up-stairs-lounge-commemoration

The discrepancy may reflect different counting methods, such as immediate injured survivors versus all people injured by burns, smoke, jumps/falls, or later hospital outcomes. A single final official injury figure was not verified.

Disputed Detail
Street/address description.

The uploaded source file records conflicting accounts for this detail.

Source 1

Source 1: LGBT+ Archives Project and Axios place the site at 604 Iberville Street. Full URLs: https://lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org/the-upstairs-lounge-fire/ ; https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2023/06/23/new-orleans-upstairs-lounge-fire

Source 2

Source 2: Historic New Orleans Collection describes the second-floor gay bar as at 141 Chartres Street. Full URL: https://hnoc.org/events/reclaiming-fire-tragedy-and-legacy-stairs-lounge-45-years-later

These appear to refer to the same corner building at Iberville and Chartres. The safest location wording is “second floor of the building at the corner of Iberville and Chartres streets,” with 604 Iberville Street used by multiple memorial/history sources.

Disputed Detail
Cause classification.

The uploaded source file records conflicting accounts for this detail.

Source 1

Source 1: NFPA says the fire was deliberately set on the stairway of the main entrance. Full URL: https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/exhibits/show/upstairs-lounge-fire/item/114

Source 2

Source 2: History says the official cause was “undetermined,” while also reporting the incident as an arson fire and that no one was arrested. Full URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/june-24/upstairs-lounge-arson-new-orleans

Sources consistently describe the fire as deliberately set/arson, but the official case remains unsolved and no person was convicted.

Not Verified

Unverified Details

The uploaded research file specifically marks these points as not verified.

Not Verified
A single final official injury count.
Not Verified
Identity of the person who set the fire.
Not Verified
Motive for the arson.
Not Verified
A criminal conviction connected to the fire.
Not Verified
Full original New Orleans Fire Department investigative file as a working public link.
Not Verified
Full contemporary Times-Picayune / States-Item article scans as direct working public links.
Not Verified
Whether all later sources’ “15 injured” figure counts the same population as the NFPA’s “12 injured” figure.

Source Material

References

Source cards drawn from the uploaded research document.

01
HISTORY.com Editors / History
UpStairs Lounge arson attack
2022-04-29; last updated 2025-05-28
Reports that on 24 June 1973, an arson fire at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans’ French Quarter caused 32 deaths and at least 15 injuries. It states that the official cause was listed as “undetermined,” that no one was arrested, and that witnesses smelled gasoline before the blaze. (HISTORY)
Visit Source →
02
Carlie Kollath Wells / Axios New Orleans
50 years after deadly Up Stairs Lounge fire: New Orleans LGBTQ+ community still seeks answers
2023-06-23
Reports that the intentionally set fire at a French Quarter gay bar killed 32 people and injured 15. It states that the lounge was on the second floor at the corner of Iberville and Chartres streets, that no arrests had been made, and that the case remained open but inactive according to an NOPD spokesman. (Axios)
Visit Source →
03
WWL-TV
Haunting memories as N.O. council honors victims of UpStairs Lounge fire
2022-06-23
Reports that the New Orleans City Council voted to recognize and honor the 32 victims of the UpStairs Lounge fire before the 49th anniversary. Search result text identifies the incident as a deadly arson. (wwltv.com)
Visit Source →
04
PBS NewsHour
A ‘forgotten tragedy’ at a New Orleans gay bar and a new effort to honor victims’ remains
2022-08-18
Reports on the aftermath and efforts to locate remains of victims buried in obscurity. The accessible search text states that the 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson fire killed 31 men and one woman, matching the 32-fatality total. (PBS)
Visit Source →
05
Elizabeth Dias / TIME
The Upstairs Lounge Fire: When Dozens of Gay People Were Killed in 1973
2013-06-21
Reports that a flash fire tore through a gay bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter on 24 June 1973, killing 32 people in under 20 minutes and critically injuring dozens. It states that signs pointed to arson but no one was prosecuted. (Time)
Visit Source →
06
TIME
The Horror Upstairs
2013
Retrospective article on the fire, reporting 32 deaths at the Upstairs Lounge and describing the event as the deadliest fire in New Orleans history and a major tragedy in LGBTQ history. (Time)
Visit Source →
07
Teen Vogue
The UpStairs Lounge Fire in New Orleans Was a Deadly Attack on the Local LGBTQ+ Community
2022
Reports that the fire killed 32 people at the UpStairs Lounge and that Roger Dale Nunez was alleged by some later accounts to have started it, though he was never charged and the fire remains classified as unsolved. (Teen Vogue)
Visit Source →
08
Axios New Orleans
Remembering the Up Stairs Lounge fire that killed 32 in New Orleans
2024-06-25
Anniversary coverage reporting that the 1973 arson attack at the Up Stairs Lounge killed 32 and injured 15, and that the bar was on the second floor at Iberville and Chartres streets. (Axios)
Visit Source →
09
Ramon Antonio Vargas / The Guardian
Family of veteran killed in 1973 New Orleans fire trying to recover remains
2023-06-26
Reports on the family of victim Ferris LeBlanc, a World War II veteran killed in the 1973 UpStairs Lounge fire, and later efforts to recover his remains. (The Guardian)
Visit Source →
10
A. Elwood Willey, Manager, NFPA Fire Record Department; hosted by LGBTQ Religiou
Report from the National Fire Protection Association
Original NFPA report date not shown on page; report concerns the 24 June 1973 fire
Primary fire-safety account stating that the fire killed 32 patrons and injured 12 others. It says the fire was deliberately set on the stairway of the main entrance, blocked the normal exit route, and was fed by combustible wood paneling and carpet in the stairway. It also records 20 people escaping through a rear door, 15 through windows, 28 bodies recovered inside, one escapee dying before reaching hospital, and three later deaths from burn injuries. (exhibits.lgbtran.org)
Visit Source →
11
LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana
The UpStairs Lounge Fire
Page active as of current search; exact publication date not shown
States that the deadliest fire in New Orleans history occurred at a small gay bar at 604 Iberville Street in the French Quarter; 32 people died. It also states that the arson remains officially unsolved. (LGBT Archive of Louisiana)
Visit Source →
12
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Reclaiming the Fire: The Tragedy and Legacy of the Up Stairs Lounge, 45 Years Later
Event page for 2018-06-27
States that the Up Stairs Lounge fire was a case of arson for which no one was convicted, that it claimed 32 lives on 24 June 1973, and that it occurred in a second-floor gay bar at 141 Chartres Street in the French Quarter. (hnoc.org)
Visit Source →
13
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Up Stairs Lounge Fire 50th Anniversary Commemoration
Event page for 2023 commemoration
States that the fire occurred in a small gay bar in the French Quarter at 604 Iberville Street, that 32 people died, and that 15 others were injured. (hnoc.org)
Visit Source →
14
City of New Orleans / Historic District Landmarks Commission materials
135–141 Chartres Street designation report
2018, based on source metadata
Historic-designation report for the building associated with the Up Stairs Lounge. It states that the fire occurred on 24 June 1973, describes it as the deadliest fire in modern New Orleans history, and says the fire was started by an arsonist at the base of the stairwell; the stairway acted like a chimney flue, funneling heat, flames, and gases upward.
Visit Source →
15
The Jimani
The Upstairs Lounge
Not clearly displayed
Site history page for the current ground-floor bar at the building. It states that in June 1973 the UpStairs Lounge was firebombed and the blaze killed 32 people. (The Jimani Bar)
Visit Source →
16
National Park Service
50 Years of Remembering the Up Stairs Lounge Fire
2025-02-19
NPS podcast page describing the Up Stairs Lounge Fire as an unsolved arson fire at a New Orleans gay bar on 24 June 1973, with 32 dead. (National Park Service)
Visit Source →
17
LGBTQ Religious Archives Network
Upstairs Lounge Fire Exhibit Discussion
Page/PDF metadata indicates about 2019
Teaching resource stating that on 24 June 1973, in New Orleans, a still unidentified arsonist set fire to the Upstairs Lounge, a known gay bar in the French Quarter, and that the fire killed 32 people. (lgbtqreligiousarchives.org)
Visit Source →
18
New Orleans Historical
Arson Attack on the UpStairs Lounge
Not clearly displayed
Public-history page on the arson attack; search-accessible text identifies Roger Dale Nunez as a man ejected from the bar earlier on the day of the fire. This source is useful for suspect/aftermath context but not treated as a primary finding of guilt. (neworleanshistorical.org)
Visit Source →
19
New Orleans Historical
Upstairs Lounge Fire, 1973: News Coverage
Not clearly displayed
Public-history page on news coverage of the 1973 fire. Search-accessible text states that one likely suspect in the arson investigation later died by suicide and that the crime has never been officially solved. (neworleanshistorical.org)
Visit Source →
20
American LGBTQ+ Museum
The Up Stairs Lounge Arson Attack, New Orleans: 50 Years Later
Event page; exact date not clearly shown
Event page stating that the 1973 arson at the Up Stairs Lounge claimed 32 queer lives and remains the deadliest fire in New Orleans history. (americanlgbtqmuseum.org)
Visit Source →

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