Club Cinq-Sept fire

Club Cinq-Sept fire
The memorial.
DateSunday, 1 November 1970
TimeAround 1:40 a.m.
LocationSaint-Laurent-du-Pont, Isère, France
Coordinates45°22′59″N 5°42′37″E / 45.38306°N 5.71028°E / 45.38306; 5.71028
CauseIgnition of interior fittings made of polyurethane and papier-mâché
Deaths146
SuspectsGilbert Bas, club manager
Mayor of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont
Several building contractors
ChargesManslaughter, numerous building code and safety violations
VerdictGuilty
ConvictionsManslaughter

The Club Cinq-Sept fire was a major blaze at a nightclub just outside Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, Isère, France, on Sunday, 1 November 1970. The fire claimed the lives of 146 people, almost all of whom were aged between 17 and 30.[1] The scale of the disaster shocked the country. Subsequent official enquiries revealed a catalogue of shortcomings, oversights and evasions with regard to fire safety at both local and département level. Criminal charges were brought against a number of people; some received suspended jail sentences.

  1. ^ "BBC On This Day – 1 – 1970: Nightclub inferno 'wipes out generation'". BBC. November 1970. Retrieved 2 November 2015.