The Stardust inquests have heard that the rate at which the fire spread would have been much slower if it were not for the carpet tiles on the walls of the club.
Dr Will Hutchison, a fire expert with over 20 years experience, was continuing his evidence today at the Dublin District Coroner's Court. He has been retained by the coroner to give his opinion on the possible source and cause of the deadly blaze which killed 48 people in the Artane nightclub in the early hours of 14 February 1981.
Dr Hutchinson told the court that the tiles used on the walls were made of polyester, which he described as a plastic "that will burn readily once ignited, and will melt and form burning droplets and produce large amounts of black smoke".
Counsel for the inquests, Mark Tottenham, asked "if there had been no carpet tiles, the fire would be less likely to spread to other surrounding areas?" "Yes," replied Dr Hutchinson.
Dr Hutchinson also agreed there were a "number of contributory factors" in relation to the spread of the blaze. They were listed as the "intense heat" from the burning polyurethane foam that were used in the seats, along with the flammable gases they released.
'Burning droplets'
Also a factor, were the carpet tiles on the walls and the "low ceiling" which intensified the heat along with the "burning droplets" which appeared to start smaller fires around the Stardust.
Dr Hutchinson was asked if that was a reasonable summation of how the fire spread. He replied, "yes".
Dr Hutchinson also agreed that he could not determine the origin of the fire, but narrowed it down to starting either in the hot press in the main bar, an area in the roof above the west alcove, or on or under a seat in the west alcove.
"Are they the reasonable possibilities?" he was asked. "Yes," he replied.
Responding to questions from Mark Tottenham, Dr Hutchinson also agreed that if the fire started in the hot press, it most likely was because of a resistant fault due to a bad connection on top of the immersion heater.
He agreed too that if the fire started on the seats of the west alcove, then some "human intervention" would have been involved but that it was not possible to determine if that was deliberate or accidental.
'Smaller localised fire'
Earlier the court heard how a "smaller localised fire" could have been in the roof space over the area where the fire was first spotted by those inside.
Questioned by Mark Tottenham, Dr Hutchinson agreed that there could have been a localised fire in the roof space above the west alcove and that the fire might have started in the hot press.
Maps of the layout of the Stardust were displayed in court today, and showed that the hot press was located in the main bar beside the west alcove.
Mark Tottenham asked, given the fire damage to the hot press, if it is "at least likely" the fire started there. "Yes," Dr Hutchinson replied, "possible, rather than probable".
He also agreed that it was "quite likely" that it started in the west alcove.
The jury was also shown photos of the main bar which were taken in the aftermath of the fire. The bar, which had been closed with shutters when the fire broke out, the court heard, had a "relative lack of damage".
Pointing to the damage caused to the hot press, coroner Dr Myra Cullinane, asked if that damage was "disproportionate". Dr Hutchinson said it was, saying the hot press’ cabinet was severely fire damaged, "much more so" than the main bar.
Dr Hutchinson also agreed that it was "extremely unlikely" that the fire started in either the store or lamp rooms, and agreed that it is "very unlikely" that a sustained large fire could have been in the roof space before it was seen in the west alcove.
He also agreed that if you cannot establish the location of where the fire started with any certainty, then you cannot establish the cause with any certainty.
The inquests continue.
