Deadly Design Flaw Revealed - Can you solve it?

7. Deadly Design Flaw Revealed

7. An American nightclub called 'The Coconut Grove' had a terrible fire in which over 400 people died. A simple design flaw in the building led to the death toll being so high. Subsequently, regulations were changed to ensure that all public buildings throughout the country eliminated this one detail which proved so deadly. What was it?

Added 1 January 2007

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Solution: The doors at 'The Coconut Grove' opened inward. In the mad panic to escape the fire, people were crushed against the doors and could not pull them open. After 'The Coconut Grove' disaster in 1942, all public buildings had to have doors which opened outward.

Comments (2)

Anonymous 20 December 2017

The riddle states that the doors opened inward, which means they would need to be pulled from the inside to exit. This seems contradictory to the scenario presented.

Anonymous 27 December 2017

Your facts about the Cocoanut Grove fire are inaccurate. The entrance had a revolving door, and patrons pushed on both sides to exit. The door broke, causing a back draft that incinerated people.

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