HFD cites 16 of 19 nightclubs inspected
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Honolulu fire inspectors found fire safety code violations among 16 of 19 O'ahu nightclubs during unscheduled visits Friday and Saturday night that followed last month's Rhode Island blaze in which 99 people died.
Some of the more serious infractions reported by fire inspectors: • Mist, Venus Nightclub, and Blue Tropix, for failure to show fire inspectors a required city "assembly" permit for clubs with a capacity of more than 300 people. • Venus Nightclub had a deadbolt on one of its exit doors. • Water Front Café at Aloha Tower Marketplace did not properly store propane tanks. • Water Front Café and Venus Nightclub had decorative curtains that were not flame retardant. • Players Sportsbars had one of its fire exit doors locked during business hours at its downtown Honolulu bar, and had a lock on the rear fire exit at its University Avenue location. • Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana Center had a difficult-to-see latch on one of its exit doors. • Mai Tai was also warned about crowding but not cited because the business corrected the problem by limiting the number of customers entering the premises during the evening while others left, fire officials said. • Rumours had a floor-waxing machine blocking one of its fire exits. A custodian had earlier left the machine in the way.
The fire code violations ranged from what fire officials said were serious ones involving the failure by three clubs to show city permits allowing large crowds, to illegal deadbolts or latches on fire exit doors.
Infractions
But none of the 47 total violations were serious enough for fire inspectors to close any of the establishments, the officials said yesterday.
Honolulu Fire Department inspectors gave the businesses two weeks to fix the problems or face the possibility of getting warnings that could lead to criminal misdemeanor prosecution for fire code violations or fines by the Honolulu Liquor Commission.
The inspections followed the Feb. 21 Rhode Island fire and a Feb. 18 stampede at a Chicago nightspot that left 21 dead. Fire Battalion Chief Lloyd Rogers of the department's fire prevention bureau said fewer violations were expected because the nighttime inspections were hinted at two weeks ago.
The Advertiser also reported Saturday that the inspections had begun the night before and would continue during the weekend, and that the Wave Waikiki general manager said he was aware that the inspections would be taking place last weekend, although he said he did not get the information from a fire official.
Only three O'ahu clubs had no fire code violations, according to fire inspector Joseph Zaremba. They are Bedroq Bar & Grill, Hard Rock Cafe and Wave Waikiki.
Zaremba, one of two HFD inspectors who conducted the checks, said many of the infractions are easily correctable. Those violations include clubs not having enough fire exit signs or properly illuminated exit signs and not having proper tags verifying fire extinguishers and kitchen sprinkler systems have been properly serviced. Club owners could not be reached for comment on the violations.
Honolulu fire officials said they plan to continue the weekend evening inspections of nightclubs and other establishments for at least another month. "After a month, we'll evaluate what we're finding to see if we should continue regular evening inspections or if it doesn't warrant the need for evening checks," Rogers said.
Along with the nightclubs, fire inspectors may look at other establishments with a capacity of more than 50 people, including restaurants, hostess bars and churches.
The last fatal fire here at a nightclub involved a man who threw a fire bomb at the front entrance of the now-defunct Dolly Lounge in the Waimalu Shopping Center in 1990. One man was killed and seven others injured.
The fire blocked the front entrance and the back exit was padlocked, a violation of the fire code. Bar employees and patrons escaped through the kitchen and scaled a 12-foot fence using boxes to climb to safety, officials said.
"We look at everything, but one of the first things we check are that the fire exit doors are clear and unobstructed," Zaremba said.
