Stardust inquests told of 'parachutes of flames' from the ceiling

The Stardust inquests have heard about the intense heat in the nightclub as the fire took hold and how there were "parachutes of flames" dropping from the ceiling.

Ann Horner was giving evidence today at the Dublin District Coroner's Court at the hearings into the deaths of the 48 people who died in the 1981 nightclub fire.

She was 21 years old at the time and was in the club that night with her sister and friends, including Susan Morgan, 19, who died.

In court today, Ann Horner described how she initially saw the orange glow of the fire "like a lamp", and said "within seconds" there was a flash across the ceiling and how "parachutes of flames" were raining down.

She told the court how the smoke was black and intense and that within seconds it was hard to breathe.

She said the smoke was burning her throat, chest and eyes and that when she closed her eyes, it felt as if her eyeballs were melting. "It was that hot", she said.

She said people were panicking, "it was like a stampede" she said. "We didn’t know where we were going."

She told the court that when she was on the ground she could feel people and feet climbing over her.

She said she then reached out and shouted "Jesus", and with that she went "calm and peaceful". She said she remembers thinking she was going to die

She said the next thing she remembered was her "scrambling" down an alleyway outside the building. She said she does not know what exit she escaped from.

Ms Horner said that once outside she helped a man was on fire by rolling him in the grass and removing parts of his clothing.

She said he was hysterical and was shouting a man’s name. She later learned that the man she was assisting was Larry Stout whose brother John died in the fire.

She was asked by counsel Joe Brolly, representing families of the victims, if the man had been shouting "John". She said that is who he was calling for.

Ms Horner also told the court how on the way up to the club that night with her friends they were joking that it was "Black Friday", Friday the 13th.

The inquests also heard that while dancing, she noticed a lock and chain on a fire door and joked to a man nearby, "Look, they’re locking us in", and that the man replied that they were "locking them out".

Ann Horner also said that at around 1am, approximately 40 minutes before the fire was first spotted inside, she went to leave the club but found the main door was locked.

She asked a bouncer to open it but said after a few minutes of waiting, she decided to return to her friends inside the ballroom.

She also described the scenes in St Steevens' Hospital afterwards and said there were "so many" people lying on the floor.

She told the court too how a "middle aged couple" came in who were probably looking for their son or daughter.

She said she was shivering at the time, and they put a coat around her.

It was 'mayhem' inside

Finola Horner, Ann's sister, also gave evidence today and she said there was "mayhem" inside as the fire took hold and said people were "running for their lives".

"It was pitch black … you literally couldn’t breathe," she said.

She recalled how she fell on the floor and said she did not know how she got herself up. "There were so many people," she said.

Another witness, Valerie Walsh told the court that her and her friends had smelled smoke and that she looked under the partition and saw a small flame that was "travelling up".

She recalled how she ran over to other friends to tell them and when she returned she saw a bouncer pulling up the shutters that was partitioning off the west alcove that night.

Asked today who it was that pulled them up, she said it was the doorman, Michael Kavanagh.

She said when it was lifted, the fire spread "fairly quick".

Valerie Walsh then described how pieces of the ceiling began falling down. She said in the foyer leading to the main entrance, there was pandemonium.

She told the court that after she got out, the main entrance the door closed behind her as there were people still inside trying to get out.

She said there was only one door open as she made it outside and that it had opened inwards.

It was put to her by counsel for the families, Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh that the force of the people might have closed the door. "I don’t know about that," she said.