June 26, 1973, UPI - AP

June 26, 1973, New York Times, Arson Suspected in Deaths of 29 in New Orleans Bar, [.pdf]
June 26, 1973, UPI - The Daily Reporter [Dover, OH] page 6, Woman caller claims vigilante group set New Orleans bar fire,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Boston Herald American, page 41, Deacon in Tavern Blames Arsonist, by Joseph P. Manguno,
June 26, 1973, UPI - The Argus [Fremont, CA] page 3, Church deacon believes; 'Gay bar' flash fire product of arsonist,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Middletown Times Herald Record, page 14, Arson mulled in bar blaze,
June 26, 1973, UPI - The Galveston Daily News, page 5, Police Work On Arson Theory,
June 26, 1973, UPI - The Arizona Republic [Phoenix] page A-12, Arson Suspected in flash fire at bar,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Playground Daily News [Fort Walton Beach, FL] page 2A, French Quarter Blaze Toll Reaches 29; Arson Possible,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Ames Daily Tribune [IA] page 10, Claims false wall contributed to fire's death toll,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Seattle Times, False wall responsible for many of fire deaths,
June 26, 1973, UPI - The Daily Herald [Provo, UT] page 14, 29-Death Flash Fire Probed in New Orleans,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Arizona Republic [Phoenix] page 19, Arson suspected in flash fire at bar,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Panama City [FL] News-Herald, page 1, Arson Suspected in Gay Bar Fire,
June 26, 1973, UPI - Wilmington Morning Star, page 2, Arson clues sought,
June 26, 1973, UPI - The Waco News-Tribune [TX] page 5-A, Arson Suspected In 'Gay Bar' Fire,
June 26, 1973, A.A.P. - The Age [Melbourne, Australia] page 11, Homosexual bar blaze kill 29,
June 26, 1973, The Sydney Morning Herald, page 5, Blaze in New Orleans bar; 29 die,
June 26, 1973, AP - Northwest Arkansas Times [Fayetteville] page 6, 'Gay Lib' To Mourn Dead Of French Quarter Blaze,
June 26, 1973, AP - The Morning Advocate, [Baton Rouge, LA] Church Slates Mourning For Victims of N.O. Fire, by Eric Newhouse,
June 26, 1973, AP - Hazelton [PA] Standard-Speaker, page 6, Death in a Little Bar,
June 26, 1973, AP - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, page 5, New Orleans Seeks Cause of Bar Blaze,
June 26, 1973, AP - The Jacksonville Daily Journal [IL] page 1, Arson Squad Probe Ruins Of Piano Bar,
June 26, 1973, AP - The Danville Register [VA] page 2, Arson Squad In New Orleans Probe Ruins Of Fatal Bar Fire,
June 26, 1973, AP - The Bridgeport Telegram [CT] page 4, 'No Evidence of Fire-Bombing' At Bar Where 29 Patrons Died,
June 26, 1973, AP - The Havre Daily News [Montana] page 8, Fire Will Rank In Infamy, by Ed Tunstall,
June 26, 1973, AP - The Oregonian, Gay group to mourn fire victims,
June 26, 1973, AP - Somerset [PA] Daily American, page 2, Fire Site Sifted By Arson Squad,
June 26, 1973, The Independent Record [Helena, Montana] page 3, (Photofax) Stand-Alone Photo, Grim View,
June 26, 1973, The Kane [PA] Republican, page 3, Stand-Alone Photo, Charred Piano Bar,

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June 26, 1973, New York Times, Arson Suspected in Deaths of 29 in New Orleans Bar, [.pdf]



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June 26, 1973, UPI - The Daily Reporter [Dover, OH] page 6, Woman caller claims vigilante group set New Orleans bar fire,

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June 26, 1973, UPI - Boston Herald American, page 41, Deacon in Tavern Blames Arsonist, by Joseph P. Manguno,



Fire officials said burglar bars on the windows prevented victims from escaping.

Courtney Craighead, deacon MCC, fled out rear exit

a tavern called "The Upstairs," a second-floor spot which had some windows covered with boards and bars.

Antoinette Evelyn Harris, owner of a tavern next door

Witness said two men were thrown out of the bar shortly before the fire started---one for fighting, the other for being a nuisance.

"There was a couple of guys quarreling at the top of the stairs," said William White, 18, of Pineville, La., who was heading to the party with a friend. "I don't like no kind of fights, so we left. We weren't more than a block away when I looked back. The whole place was lit up by fire."

In the front, the building's windows were covered by burglar bars and a large wooden panel. Both prevented victims from escaping and fire officials said the boarded windows probably violated fire code.

The blaze was reported at 7:56 p.m. Sunday and brought under control by firemen 16 minutes later. All but a few of the 29 victims were clustered at the base of boarded up windows on one side of the bar.

Several persons jumped to Safety in Sunday's fire.

"They didn't move when they hit," a witness said.

"One guy weight about 300 pounds ans he still on fire when he hit the street."
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June 26, 1973, The Argus [Fremont, CA] page 3, Church deacon believes; 'Gay bar' flash fire product of arsonist,


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June 26, 1973, UPI - Middletown Times Herald Record, page 14, Arson mulled in bar blaze,



NEW ORLEANS (UPI) -- Police tried to prove Monday that an arsonist started a flash fire that killed 29 persons in just 16 minutes inside a shoddy upstairs gay bar on the fringe of the French Quarter during a Sunday beer

Investigators questioned the 15 persons injured in the blaze about reports that a fight preceded the blaze and that some of the survivors attending the party smelled gasoline when the fire flashed.

"The detective bureau is investigating witnesses, looking into the possibility of arson," said Frank Hayward, a police department spokesman.

Of the 29 only one was a woman. They died in the tavern called "The Upstairs" -- about the size of a living room.

"It was a gay bar -- you know, homosexual. Very gay," said Antoinette Evelyn Harris, owner of a tavern next door. "Every Sunday night they have this beer bust with all the beer you can drink for a dollar."

Police said they were investigating a report that two men were thrown out of the bar earlier in the evening.

Of the 15 persons injured when they jumped to the street to escape the inferno, six remained in serious condition at Charity Hospital. The tavern itself was a charred ruin.

"They were just piled up -- people in a mass. One falls, then another falls . . . it's just a mass of death," said Dr. Carl H. Rabin, Orleans Parish coroner, describing the fire scene.

The blaze was reported at 7:56 p.m. Sunday and brought under control by firemen 16 minutes later. All but a few of the 29 victims were clustered at the base of boarded up windows on one side of the bat.

A bathroom and the only exit were located on the other side of the room. Some of the dead were found piled there.

Officials at the coroner's office said identifying the victims would be difficult because they were burned so badly.

Officials said it was the worst fire disaster in New Orleans' modern history. It was the latest in a series of disastrous blazes in the city -- the last of which was at the Rault Center, a downtown high-rise complex. Six persons were killed there, including three who jumped to their deaths. Several persons jumped to safety in Sunday's fire

"They didn't move when they hit," a witness said. "One guy weighed 300 pounds and he was still on fire when he hit the street."
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June 26, 1973, UPI - The Galveston Daily News, page 5, Police Work On Arson Theory,


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June 26, 1973, UPI - The Arizona Republic [Phoenix] page A-12, Arson Suspected in flash fire at bar,


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June 26, 1973, UPI - Playground Daily News [Fort Walton Beach, FL] page 2A, French Quarter Blaze Toll Reaches 29; Arson Possible,

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June 26, 1973, UPI - Ames Daily Tribune [IA] page 10, Claims false wall contributed to fire's death toll,

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June 26, 1973, UPI - Seattle Times, UPI, False wall responsible for many of fire deaths,



NEW ORLEANS---(UPI) -- Coroner Carl Rabin said today a false wall hid windows from view in a French Quarter bar "certainly" was responsible for many of the 29 deaths in a flash fire that scorched the small lounge.

The bar---the Upstairs Lounge---had burglar bars on at least one window and its fire escape did not reach the ground, according to state records, But fire fighters, who examined the lounge yesterday said it was in compliance with the state fire code.

Bodies of the 29 persons killed in the blaze Sunday night were found on the opposite side of the room from the windows that may have had bars. The bodies were found on the side where a false-plywood wall hid windows that could have been used as an escape if they had been discovered sooner.

The 21 persons who did escape kicked through the plywood and went through the windows. Fifteen of them were injured in the plunge to the ground, and others stood on ledges or fire escapes until they were rescued by firemen.

Authorities were still investigating the possibility of arson.

Ten of the victims were members of the New Orleans chapter of the Metropolitan Community Church, a homosexual church with 47 chapters in the United States and London. A service for the 10 was held last night in St. George's Episcopal Church. The Rev. Troy Perry of Los Angeles, founder of the churches, said in a sermon the fire was deliberately set.
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June 26, 1973, UPI - The Daily Herald [Provo, UT] page 14, 29-Death Flash Fire Probed in New Orleans,


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June 26, 1973, UPI - Arizona Republic [Phoenix] page 19, Arson suspected in flash fire at bar,


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June 26, 1973, UPI - Panama City News-Herald [FL] page 1, Arson Suspected in Gay Bar Fire,


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June 26, 1973, UPI - Wilmington Morning Star, page 2, Arson clues sought,



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June 26, 1973, UPI - The Waco News-Tribune [TX] page 5-A, Arson Suspected In 'Gay Bar' Fire,


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June 26, 1973, A.A.P. - The Age, page 11, Homosexual bar blaze kill 29,


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June 26, 1973, The Sydney Morning Herald, page 5, Blaze in New Orleans bar; 29 die,


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June 26, 1973, AP - Northwest Arkansas Times [Fayetteville] page 6, 'Gay Lib' To Mourn Dead Of French Quarter Blaze,


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June 26, 1973, AP - The Morning Advocate, [Baton Rouge, LA] Church Slates Mourning For Victims of N.O. Fire, by Eric Newhouse,


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June 26, 1973, AP - Hazelton Standard-Speaker, page 6, Death in a Little Bar,


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June 26, 1973, AP - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, page 5, New Orleans Seeks Cause of Bar Blaze,




"There are hints of a fire bombing, but no evidence has turned up to support it," said Chief of Detectives Henry M. Morris.

He said officers had questioned numerous witnesses, including some survivors. "Every story we get conflicts with every other story," he said.

White-clad investigators from the city's arson squad poke through the rubble.
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June 26, 1973, AP - The Jacksonville Daily Journal [IL] page 1, Arson Squad Probe Ruins Of Piano Bar,


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June 26, 1973, AP - The Danville Register [VA] page 2, Arson Squad In New Orleans Probe Ruins Of Fatal Bar Fire,

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June 26, 1973, AP - The Bridgeport Telegram [CN] page 4, 'No Evidence of Fire-Bombing' At Bar Where 29 Patrons Died,

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June 26, 1973, AP - The Havre Daily News [Montana] page 8, Fire Will Rank In Infamy, by Ed Tunstall,


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June 26, 1973, AP - The Oregonian, Gay group to mourn fire victims,


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June 26, 1973, Somerset Daily American [PA] page 2, Fire Site Sifted By Arson Squad,


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June 26, 1973, The Independent Record [Helena, Montana] page 3, Stand-Alone Photo, Grim View,

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June 26, 1973, The Kane Republican [PA] page 3, Stand-Alone Photo, Charred Piano Bar,


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