- Author
-
Jennings, C.
- Title
- Nine Eldedrly Fire Victims in Residential Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida, April 6, 1990. USFA Fire Investigation Technical Report Series.
- Coporate
- TriData Corp., Arlington, VA
- Sponsor
- Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC
- Report
-
Report 041
1991
39 p.
- Contract
- EMW-90-C-3338
- Keywords
-
fire investigations
|
hotels
|
elderly persons
|
death
|
injuries
|
smoke
|
fire spread
|
venting
|
standpipes
|
automatic sprinkler systems
|
occupants
- Identifiers
- Fontana Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida, April 6, 1990
- Abstract
- Early in the morning of April 6, 1990, a fire in a Miami Beach hotel killed nine occupants and injured 24, including 4 firefighters. The building, known as the Fontana Hotel, was originally constructed in 1951. Although the building was offically designated as a hotel, most of its occupants were elderly and used the building as a permanent residence. Of the nine fatalities, the youngest was over 75 years old. The building was equipped with hard-wire smoke detectors in guest rooms, a fire alarm system with manual stations and corridor smoke detectors, and standpipes. Other fire protection included solid-core 20-minute doors on guest rooms and fire doors separating corridors. The fire department arrived to find the hotel's lobby fully involved and heavy fire venting from windows the width of the first floor. Heavy smoke and fire were spreading rapidly throughout the hotel. Numerous guests were rescued by firefighters. The fire destroyed the front portion of the structure, burning through the roof. The remainder of the hotel received smoke and heat damage, although many of the rooms were spared from fire damage. The building had received several improvements to fire safety features as a result of code enforcement activities of the Miami Beach Fire Department. Ironically, the building was required by State law to install an automatic sprinkler system in 1991.