Nothing fire service could have done to prevent deaths of Stardust fire victims, says expert

The aftermath of the Stardust fire in February 1981, in which 48 people died. File picture: Donal Sheehan/Irish Examiner Archive

There was nothing the fire service could have done to prevent the deaths of the victims of the Stardust fire on the night, despite the first appliance arriving less than 10 minutes after the initial 999 call made from inside the club, fresh inquests have heard.

Furthermore, the task facing the first firefighters on the scene was “unprecedented” and something which was “extremely difficult to plan for”.