Stardust witness describes putting out flames on people ‘on fire’ fleeing venue

A witness at the Stardust inquests has described putting out flames on people who were “on fire” as they emerged from the burning venue in which 48 people died in 1981.

Dublin coroners court also heard on Thursday from a survivor who described one of the venue’s six exits being chained and padlocked, and standing back as three men ran at it repeatedly to “burst” it open.

Fresh inquests into the deaths of 48 people, aged 16 to 27, in the Artane ballroom in the early hours of February 14th 1981 are being held following a 2019 direction by the then attorney general Séamus Woulfe.

Mark Swaine, 18 at the time of the disaster, became upset as his original 1981 Garda statement was read into the record. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane asked if he was “alright” adding: “It’s difficult I know because it brings it all back to mind.”

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Mr Swaine said his brother initially drew his attention to what looked like a “very small fire” on one seat which then spread to a second seat. He and his girlfriend went towards exit 3, behind the stage area.

“There were five or six fellas in front of me and two or three girls” ahead of them, he said. “They were shouting, ‘Get that chain off the door for f**k sake’. They were also kicking the door.

“The panic started at that stage.” There was a “lot of coughing [as] the smoke became black very quickly”. The exit burst open and there was a van parked with its rear almost flush with steps.

“I was squashed against the van and I pushed my girlfriend off the wall. We were knocked to the ground in the rush and eventually both of us got clear.”

He described trying to break windows thought to be those at the cash office. “I saw some girls’ hands in the windows pressing against it. We were trying to break windows because there was people in there trying to get out.”

Television news footage taken at the scene on the night appearing to show him up a ladder at one of the windows, was shown. Des Fahy, for the families of nine of the dead, asked what he had seen “on the other side” of the windows: “I remember seeing hands ... It was very smoky in there but there was people in there.”

“Do you have a recollection of anyone coming out that window?” “No”

Asked what prevented them, Mr Swaine said: “There was bars there, wrought iron kind of bars, a bit of mesh, but there was no way.”

At the main exit, he continued: “There was a lot of people coming out on fire ... smouldering, their clothes were kind of burnt on to them ... I was trying to put the flames out, trying to settle people. I don’t know. I am fairly calm in situations.”

Christine Fullam, 31 at the time, said she and a friend made for exit 3 as soon as she saw smoke “swirling” near the ceiling. She knew of the exit as she had used backstage dressingrooms for a Halloween fancy-dress in October 1980.

When they got to the exit, however, they found a padlock and chain wrapped so tightly around the panic bars it could not be moved. “I pulled at the lock several times but it had no effect. I tried to open it for what seemed two or three minutes.” She and her friend discussed going to find a bouncer to open it.

“Then ... about three fellows came running down the passageway ... They ran straight at the door jumping at it and kicking with their feet. The third time they ran at it again and it burst open fully.”

Georgina McCready, 16 at the time, also gave evidence about exit 3. Having left through the main entrance, she said she went to exit 3 where she heard people screaming inside and saw the doors “bulging” and smoke seeping through the door-frame before it “flew” open with a “crash” and people fell out.