Checking the Exits Could Save Your Life

I was very interested reading “For This Guy, Club Hopping’s a Job” (L.A. Stories, April 20) about (Los Angeles Fire Department) inspector Alan Higginbotham and what he does to keep people safe.

I am Irish. Reading the article brought very vivid and sad memories of an incident that occurred in Dublin on Feb. 13, 1981, when approximately 48 young people lost their lives and others were badly scarred in a fire at the Stardust nightclub.

The main reason these people died was that the majority of the fire exits were locked with chains for fear of trespassers entering the club. Many of the bodies were found in the bathrooms, where people could not get out as there were iron bars on the windows.

Now, when I go out to any social event, I take one minute to observe where the exits are located, and if they were to be chained, I would not hesitate to report it.

MARY AMBROSE

Pasadena