Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fi...Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire Collection, 1939-2002
| Boston Public Library Archival and Manuscript Finding Aid Database
Arrangement
Abstract
Administrative/Biographical History
Biographical Note
Charles Kenney Jr., a former Boston firefighter, was born on April 11, 1925. His father was also in the Boston Fire Department and fought the Cocoanut Grove fire of 1942. In the 1990s Kenney began to research the fire, its origin, and the effect it had on the firefighting profession in Boston. As a result of his work, he was designated by the Boston Fire Department as their official Cocoanut Grove historian. Kenney and another fire researcher have theorized that the refrigerant gas methyl chloride which was used in the club’s refrigerator leaked, ignited, and became the original accelerant for the fire. Kenney has lectured on the Cocoanut Grove fire and developed his research into a manuscript which was never published.
Historical Note
The Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire occurred on November 28, 1942 when a fast-moving blaze swept through the popular nightspot on Piedmont Street near Boston’s theater district. Nearly 450 people were killed, many more died in the weeks to come, and hundreds were injured, both physically and psychologically. The official death toll was put at 492, including a man who committed suicide over guilt from surviving the fire while his wife died. The fire affected nearly everyone in the Boston area at that time and it played a significant role in altering building safety codes, manslaughter laws, and medical treatment for burn and lung injuries. Penicillin was used for the first time (in non-test patients) to fight infection in burn victims at Massachusetts General Hospital. The cause of the fire is attributed to a match lit by a busboy who was trying to replace a light bulb; however, the official cause is unknown.
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When reproducing material from this collection please include the credit line "Courtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library/ Rare Books."
Donation
This collection consists of material gathered by retired firefighter Charles Kenney, Jr. from 1990-2002 (bulk 1991-1992) in preparation for a book on the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire of 1942. The book (unpublished) was to focus on the effect of the fire on the Boston Fire Department. In particular, the collection documents the fire’s origin, Kenney’s theory that the refrigerant gas methyl chloride was the original accelerant for the fire, the experiences of the survivors, the work performed at the fire by the responding Engine and Ladder companies, and the investigation into the fire by both the Boston Fire Department (Reilly Commission) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Between 1991 and 1992, Kenney interviewed 29 people including survivors, firefighters, and medical personnel about their experiences with the fire. The interviews provide eyewitness accounts of the fire and contain observations by Kenney. Among the subjects discussed are the methyl chloride theory, possible sources of responsibility for the cause of the fire as well as Cocoanut Grove employees and the role they played in helping patrons exit the nightclub. Some of the topics documented in Kenney’s research material are the fire from a professional prospective, the actions of the Boston Fire Department in response to the fire, and casualties.
The collection contains transcripts and cassette tapes of interviews of survivors and firefighters, research notes, newspaper and magazine clippings, obituaries, maps and diagrams of the club, and copies of official documents such as Boston Fire Department running cards and reports, and the Reilly Commission hearing transcript. The report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, lists of victims, injured persons, and firefighters who were at the scene, exhibits, and correspondence are also included.
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