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1996 fire in Quezon City, Philippines
The Ozone Disco fire in Quezon City, Philippines, occurred on March 18, 1996, leaving 162 people dead. It is officially acknowledged as the worst fire in Philippine history, and among the ten worst nightclub fires in the world.
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The Ozone Disco fire in Quezon City, Philippines, occurred on March 18, 1996, leaving 162 people dead. It is officially acknowledged as the worst fire in Philippine history, and among the ten worst nightclub fires in the world.
Ozone Disco was located by the 11th World Scout Jamboree Memorial Rotonda along Timog Avenue. Prior to opening in 1991, the site housed a jazz club called Birdland, owned by Sergio Orgaoow from 1978 until 1990. Orgaoow later sold the building and lot to Hermilo Ocampo, owner and president of Westwood Entertainment Company, Inc.
The Ocampos then converted the site to a discothèque, capitalizing on the popularity of electronic music in the Philippines; they refurbished the building and added mezzanines. Ozone Disco officially opened in 1991, and became a popular spot in Quezon City for students and young professionals in the mid-1990s.
The fire broke out just before midnight on Monday, March 18, 1996. At the time of the incident, there were an estimated 350 patrons and 40 club employees inside Ozone Disco, despite the venue having a capacity of only 35 people. The majority of the club guests were high school and college students celebrating graduations or the end of the school year. Survivors reported seeing sparks flying inside the disc jockey's booth shortly before midnight, followed by smoke which they thought was a stage effect. Another survivor added that after about 15 seconds of smoke, the electrical system of the disco failed as flames quickly became visible. The DJ, another survivor, recalled the microphone died as he was about to warn patrons and employees about the fire.
Many of the bodies were discovered piled waist-high along the corridor leading to the only exit. Through initial investigations, it was determined no proper fire exit had been installed; Quezon City officials were quoted as saying the only known emergency exit was blocked by a new building next door, which journalists stated only led to the female restroom of an adjoining establishment. It was also reported that security bouncers had locked the main entrance from the outside, believing a riot had erupted.
The final death toll was reported at between 160 to 162 people, the latter cited by the trial court that heard the ensuing criminal case. At least 95 people were also injured. The high death toll was one of the worst ever for a nightclub fire, though it was subsequently surpassed by the República Cromañón nightclub fire.
Six people involved with Westwood Entertainment Company, Inc. were tried for criminal charges of "reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple serious injuries". On March 16, 2001, Westwood Entertainment president Hermilo Ocampo and corporate treasurer Ramon Ng were found guilty by a Quezon City trial court and sentenced to a four-year prison term, and fined ₱25 million each. They and their co-accused (who were acquitted) were also ordered to indemnify the families of the dead ₱150,000, and ₱100,000 pesos to the injured. The trial court concluded Ocampo and Ng had failed to provide fire exits and sprinklers inside the establishment, the fire extinguishers they placed were defective, and the only exit was a small door that swung inward and failed to comply with the building code. A former employee who had survived the fire said the inward swinging doors were installed as it was good feng shui.
In November 2001, twelve officials of the Quezon City government were charged before the Sandiganbayan (the country's anti-graft court) for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicides and multiple serious injuries. They were accused of allowing Ozone Disco to secure a certificate of annual inspection in 1995 "despite the inadequacy, insufficiency and impropriety of the documents submitted by the owners". In 2007, one of the twelve – former Quezon City engineer and building official Alfredo Macapugay – was discharged from criminal and civil liabilities after the Sandiganbayan concluded he had no hand in issuing permits to Ozone Disco's management.
On November 20, 2014, seven officials of the Quezon City government were found guilty by the Sandiganbayan of violating Republic Act No. 3019, known as the "Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act”. They were held liable for negligence in connection with the approval of the building permit and issuance of certificates of occupancy to Westwood Entertainment Company, Inc., whose owners were also found liable. The Sandiganbayan later affirmed its decision in April 2015.
For some few years after the incident, there was a makeshift memorial on the site featuring photographs of the victims. This has since been dismantled, with no marker or official memorial remaining. The building which housed Ozone Disco stood unused along Timog Avenue for over 20 years.
In March 2015, a week shy of the 19th anniversary of the fire, Ozone Disco's building was demolished. Relatives of the victims still visit the site. As of October 2016, the former site of the building is occupied by a branch of the rice porridge chain GoodAh!!!, co-owned by television host Boy Abunda.
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