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Comments
AreWeCowabunga t1_ivjk6l8 wrote
Don’t ever go to eat at Tio Pepe.
EfficiencySuch6361 t1_ivjmtfq wrote
Like dining in a really nice Spanish cave
Crashmaster007 t1_ivjfwed wrote
I was at the early show on Saturday and had a similar thought. The exit situation for the upper level was bad.
Typical-Radish4317 t1_ivjr72g wrote
2nd show started an hour late because it took so long for people to exit.
Crashmaster007 t1_ivjvaht wrote
Wow. Figured it would, that line outside looked rough. Glad I went with the early show.
EPIC_FAIL_73 t1_ivjg8t0 wrote
Same here. I thought maybe it was just me. I usually don't think about these things, but when I saw how long it took to exit, it crossed my mind.
BlissfulWizard69 t1_ivjh2nd wrote
There's a big difference in compartment space when comparing a music hall to a night club, same with fire load. Both those factors will greatly effect the speed and spread of fire growth. I believe the Lyric is non-combustible construction. It may only be sprinkled in certain areas for acoustics, I'm not sure however, never looked to see sprinkler hookups outside.
Was the building standpiped?
jupitaur9 t1_ivjmwet wrote
The difference in a building like the Lyric is that you don’t have everyone at the door all at once. They have to go down their row to a main aisle. So the chances of crushing others is probably lower than in a nightclub.
[deleted] OP t1_ivjkebb wrote
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BlissfulWizard69 t1_ivjqqgy wrote
I agree there should be adequate and well engineered egress. I looked at some pics, the building is sprinklered in the renovated areas, but the hallways are small for egress of a mass of people for sure. L shaped egress hallways are terrible.
The main opera hall is not sprinklered from what I can tell, not sure how tall it is either, that effects the efficacy of a sprinkler system. I'm still not sold on it being a death trap, that's hyperbolic.
If there is a very dirty burning acoustic foam all over the hall, yeah, that would kill folks very quickly if the smoke banked down fast enough which is very possible with burning acoustic foams. I'm not sold that the Lyric has that kind of cladding in the hall though.
Purple_Box3317 t1_ivjseib wrote
First question. Are you an engineer or fire suppression expert?
ccbmtg t1_ivk5aur wrote
yeeeah, I don't work in suppression systems but have worked with fire for years and now work event production in venues like this. there are other types of fire suppression that aren't classic sprinklers and aren't nearly as visible/noticeable. lack of sprinklers doesn't at all mean a total lack of fire suppression. and I'm not sure how they'd know the building's ventilation situation unless they had access to some the areas where I usually work or have seen a blueprint of the building, which should be available to the public I'd think? but simply going to a show isn't gonna show you what's upstairs, in fact that stuff is generally intended to be hidden or difficult to see for the same reasons we wear black backstage.
if you kept the vent system running the whole time, you're a) burning money on power and b) no point in using fog effects which are ridiculously omnipresent in almost any production these days.
Purple_Box3317 t1_ivk6swg wrote
I guess that was kind of my point/question. Perhaps they have systems in place to suppress fire that aren’t visible.
TheCaptainDamnIt t1_ivjtcj1 wrote
Oh look, a frightened Redditor went outside, dreamed up all the ways they could die and magically turned into the the first fire marshal Baltimore's ever had today.
bikebikebikes t1_ivjl3cz wrote
I would welcome a fiery death if I was forced to listen to a show there from the upper levels there again. Awful acoustics.
TweedleBeetleBattle2 t1_ivjuqqq wrote
If the fire Marshall thinks it’s not safe won’t it be shut down? Have you contacted them?
essmithsd t1_ivjyp9p wrote
posting this on Reddit is sure to solve the problem
moderndukes t1_ivjzdxq wrote
The building has been renovated numerous times and most recently renovated in 2014, so although on the National Historic Registry since 1986 I’m fairly sure they have addressed your concerns.
engin__r t1_ivji7z5 wrote
It’s a weird building. The mens’ bathroom on the main level has an antechamber with two doors that lead into the bathroom (but that are pointed in different directions), plus an alcove that looks like it should go somewhere but doesn’t.
And you’re right, those upper-level exit stairways really don’t seem designed for everyone to be leaving at once. If somebody panicked I could easily see people getting pushed down the stairs or crushed into corners.
EPIC_FAIL_73 t1_ivjkkyk wrote
> It’s a weird building. The mens’ bathroom on the main level has an antechamber with two doors that lead into the bathroom
I saw that! Found it super weird. Like I wonder if that area used to be a lounge or something.
> And you’re right, those upper-level exit stairways really don’t seem designed for everyone to be leaving at once. If somebody panicked I could easily see people getting pushed down the stairs or crushed into corners.
They are normally sized. That's a problem.
Cheomesh t1_ivjye0q wrote
>plus an alcove that looks like it should go somewhere but doesn’t.
Given the age of the building I wouldn't be surprised if that was where the washroom attendant stood and stored his stuff.
umdtho t1_ivjwgfn wrote
I was there & thought the same thing!
prem5077 t1_ivk5fy9 wrote
I was also at the early show up in the balcony and part of why it took so long to exit is because the lobby was closed since there was a second show. If people had been able to flow through the lobby and exit there, I guarantee it would have moved faster.
Illustrious_Listen_6 t1_ivjuluq wrote
It looks so dated and ugly. Wish they would demolish and rebuild a beautiful new building Baltimore needs tons of new buildings.
Hansel4407 t1_ivjlf66 wrote
Are there additional emergency exits that were not being utilized during a regular exit? It's fairly common to not use all doors to manage control of people. 10+ minutes for people to file out of a large building is a more reasonable number than you would believe.
Comparing this to the Station Night Club Fire is not a great comparison, that situation is where the planned egress was blocked and doors did not open in the proper direction. That was also a significantly smaller building in height which caused many of the issues at hand.
Before going further down the path, recommend checking into a few areas:
Just want to caution folks jumping to conclusions when there are skilled professionals and departments who manage this and just because a place doesn't have sprinklers doesn't mean it's a trap.