SOUTHGATE, Ky — It has been 46 years since 165 people died in a fire at Southgate’s Beverly Hills Supper Club. Now, survivors and families have a new memorial to pay respects.
The memorial sits along U.S. 27, and includes names of the victims, as well as a list of the federal and state fire safety regulations that were put in place after the tragedy.
“How excited we were,” said survivor Dana Stallings. “How excited we were because my mom, she never got anywhere.”
The night of the fire was supposed to be a special night for Stallings and her family, who had packed into the club to catch Hollywood star John Davidson.
“That's from that night,” she said, pointing to a photograph taken before the fire. “The only one that came out.”
Stallings believes the fire started before her family arrived. When she was evacuated, she said she assumed she would be coming right back inside.
“We started going out the wrong way,” she said. “That’s when the fire was bigger and it chased us the other way.”
Stallings said she and her family turned left, but the lights had gone out and she could not see anyone.
“I actually pushed hard enough to get out a door,” she said. “I was the last one out that door.”
Six of her relatives perished and were found just inside the door. Stallings was 21 years-old. She lost her mother, two sisters, sister-in-law, aunt and great-aunt.
On the anniversary of the fire, Stallings attended the memorial dedication and brought flowers to place on her relatives’ names.
“When you drive by 27 and see what this is, then you'll be able to recognize or something here,” said David Brock, who was working as a bus boy the night of the fire.
Brock helped push for the memorial to be built.
“It took 46 years to get this one done, but very proud to have it done,” he said.
The cause of the fire was never determined. However, locked doors, overcrowding, and a lack of fire suppression systems exacerbated the devastation.
“It changed mostly the fire laws,” said Dr. Brian Hackett, an associate professor at Northern Kentucky University who helped launch an exhibit on the fire in 2014. “Now, you have to have sprinklers. You have to have battery-operated lights so that people can get out. You can't use certain materials to build things out of.”
Dr. Hackett said the country learned from the tragedy to improve regulations.
“You go to any restaurant in town and you're going to see a sign posted somewhere near the door that tells you how many people can safely be in that building,” he said. “That's because of the Beverly Hills Supper Club.”
An additional memorial is planned at the site of the fire in a park that’s being developed as part of a residential project on top of the hill.
Family members of the victims told WCPO the new memorial is a special tribute.
“From here on out, it's going to be positive,” Stallings said. “It's going to be beautiful coming up here.”
