The Stardust nightclub fire location

This is the location where the Stardust nightclub fire took place.

It is situated at Artane Place in Artane, Dublin.

Although most of the building was torn down, the owners kept the original facade at the entrance.

On Saturday, February 13th, 1981, hundreds of teenagers and young adults attended a Valentine's Day dance at the Stardust nightclub.

Sadly, a fun night quickly turned into tragedy when a fire of unknown origin started spreading through the club.

In the early hours of February 14th, many of the patrons noticed that the temperature seemed to be rising. Some even joked that the heating must have been accidentally turned up a notch.

Not long after, the DJ announced that there was a small fire on the premises. During the announcement, he called for calm and assured the crowd that everything was under control.

However, things took a turn for the worse when one of the bouncers grabbed a fire extinguisher and lifted up a nearby shutter. While the shutter was rolling up, a large ball of fire came rushing outward.

The general unease turned into complete pandemonium when clubgoers witnessed the bouncer dropping his extinguisher and fleeing.

As the flames poured out into the main ballroom and began climbing up the walls, it immediately became clear that the situation was far from under control.

The blaze swept through the seats, tables, and ceiling. Meanwhile, panicked patrons rushed towards whatever exit they could find.

Thick smoke filled the venue, lights began to fail, and melted plastic started dripping down from above. Screams rang out in the darkness as people bolted in different directions.

Some fell over and were trampled by others. One survivor recalled how he had to crawl on his hands and knees after he was repeatedly knocked to the ground.

Unfortunately, the owners had padlocked most of the fire exits to prevent people from sneaking into the nightclub without paying. Furthermore, the windows of the club were protected by thick metal bars that were practically impossible to remove.

In total, 48 young adults and teenagers were killed by the fire.

Twelve of the victims were under the age of 18.

Many of the survivors suffered from PTSD, guilt, and bereavement. In the years that followed, at least 25 people attempted suicide.

Although the original investigation concluded that the fire was "probably" arson, this was later overturned by a review after it emerged that the finding wasn't based on any evidence.

Sadly, due to the passage of time, it is unlikely that the cause of the Stardust nightclub fire will ever be determined.

Photos

Photos of the nightclub and other related images.

Former Stardust nightclub

Image source: Google Maps

This Google Street View image of Artane Place was captured in November 2022.

Up until recently, it was known as Butterly Business Park.

The Stardust was owned by the Butterly family.

The building was originally a food factory. However, it was converted into a nightclub in 1978.

Although the property was completely gutted by the fire and had to be demolished, the Butterlys decided to retain the rectangular facade at the front entrance.

Notably, the owners were controversially exonerated from legal responsibility after the original investigation concluded that the fire was "probably" arson.

Fire

The building was completely gutted by the fire.

Padlocked fire exit

Many of the dead and injured were found by the padlocked fire exits.

One survivor recalled how some of the patrons were trapped in the restrooms:

"There were people on the inside of the toilet windows. Banging on them. Banging and screaming. While burning. While burning, [and screaming] 'Let us out!'"

Stardust

At around 1.42 a.m. on February 14th, 1981, a man called the police to report that his girlfriend's handbag had been stolen at the Stardust nightclub.

As he was speaking with the operator, people suddenly began screaming in the background.

At that point, the caller immediately hung up.

When the emergency services arrived and opened the padlocked doors, they were met with the sight of bodies piled on top of one another.

Five of the victims remained unidentified until 2007, when DNA testing was used to track down their relatives.

Map

Image source: Google Maps

The Stardust nightclub was situated to the north of the Artane Castle Shopping Centre.

The original facade is largely obscured by a gas station.

Google Street View

Following the fire, most of the building was torn down. These days, it is a parking lot.