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FAMILIES AFFECTED BY a horrific blaze on the Isle of Man 50 years ago have lodged an application for a fresh inquest into the incident.
The fire at the Summerland leisure complex on August 2 1973 killed 50 people, among them 11 children. More than 100 people were injured.
This campaign is being fronted by Phoenix Law, the same Irish legal team who previously represented families seeking justice for the Stardust fire that killed 48 people in Dublin in 1981.
The Belfast-based firm, announced today that an application for a fresh inquest into the tragic fire had been lodged.
Previously, it’s been involved with a number of other high-profile cases in recent years, including the tribunal into sex abuser Bill Kenneally and as representatives of victims of disgraced surgeon Michael Shine.
Phoenix Law solicitor Darragh Mackin, which acts for the Justice for Summerland Campaign, said today’s application underscores the concerns of the affected families. It’s representing many of those affected.
The victims and survivors came from across Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and as far as Australia.
Mackin said today’s application came after it was uncovered that a forensic scientist who worked on analysis of the Summerland fire had provided evidence in other cases which was later found to be unreliable and where convictions had been quashed.
He added that it was “difficult to envisage a more compelling set of circumstances to which point firmly in favour of a fresh investigation” into the fire.
“This revelation coupled with the evolution in forensic techniques make a clear and indisputable need for a fresh investigation,” Mackin said.
The fire was determined to have originated at a crazy golf course outside the complex but ripped its way through Summerland within 30 minutes, quickly spreading through the glass structure that covered the entire building.
Thousands of holidaymakers inside the building had been enjoying their summer break, making use of the five floors of amusement arcades, dance halls, a bingo hall, restaurants and bars.
It later emerged that flammable Galbestos cladding was known to be a safety risk but was allowed to be used in the construction of what was then a “state-of-the-art” complex.
The incident, which was one of the deadliest fire disasters in British history, has left victims’ families and survivors with lingering questions and unresolved grievances.
Families have called for a thorough investigation into circumstances surrounding the fire.
Last April, an inquest concluded that the victims of that fire had been unlawfully killed.
It mirrors the initial Stardust investigation, which saw a tribunal conclude in 1982 that the blaze was caused by ‘probable arson’ rather than an accident – a finding that devastated the relatives of those who lost their lives and those injured in the blaze.
For the Summerland fire, one of the grounds for the new inquest is listed as an insufficiency or irregularity in the proceedings lasting just one day, with its conclusions largely limited to the medical cause of death.
Phoenix Law also argues that there have been scientific developments in forensic science which could benefit a new inquiry, as well as the fact that the scientist’s evidence has been found to be unreliable in other situations.
It added that the Stardust fire inquest demonstrates the significance of the development of forensic techniques within the area of fire science.
A spokesman for the Isle of Man government confirmed that an application has been received and will be “given appropriate consideration” by its attorney general.
With reporting by Eoghan Dalton
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