Emily Chan
What started out as a relatively uneventful day ended up turning into a night of tragedy and horror.
On November 28, 1942, the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub in Boston burst into flames. The fire got out of control and became the deadliest disaster in the history of the city. It is the second most catastrophic building fire in American history.
A total of 490 people died in the Cocoanut Grove Fire, including 237 male patrons, 227 female patrons, 17 employees, six entertainers, two rescue workers who happened to be on the scene that night, and a sales girl for war bonds.
More than 1,000 people were hospitalized for their injuries. At the time, it was the worst loss of life the United States had experienced since the attack of Pearl Harbor about a year earlier.
The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub was built in 1927. It was a popular spot located in the downtown area of Boston. Just 15 years later, a fire destroyed the building.
The flames were first spotted in the club’s basement at 10:15 PM. An artificial palm tree and a fake cloth ceiling in one of the lounges were ablaze.
According to witnesses, a 16-year-old boy had just changed a lightbulb and lit a match to see the socket, so that could’ve been the source of the fire. But in the end, the boy was exonerated. To this day, it’s unclear as to what caused the fire.
Two known survivors of the Cocoanut Grove Fire were still alive as of 2022. At the time of the fire, Joyce Spector and Bob Shumway were both 18 years old.
Spector was at the club with her fiancé, Justin Morgan. He was killed in the blaze. She emerged from the fire with second-degree burns on her body and blisters on her face.
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