May 28, 1977, will forever be remembered as one of Kentucky’s darkest days. It was on this day that the devastating fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate tragically claimed the lives of 165 innocent civilians.
The late Hal Bruno covered the incident in the August 1977 issue of Firehouse, and in his closing remarks, he wrote these telling words: “It didn’t have to happen; the loss of life could have been prevented. The ultimate tragedy is that it will happen again as long as fire safety laws continue to be watered down and exceptions are made for existing buildings.” Charles Morgan, then-president of the NFPA warned, “There are disasters waiting to happen … we just don’t know where or when.”
As terrible as this event was, the magnitude of this tragedy could have been far worse had it not been for the courageous efforts of the Southgate Volunteer Fire Department and the neighboring departments. Responding crews executed a near-seamless emergency preplan that they had drilled upon just two weeks before the fatal event.
Sadly, nearly 40 years later, the site of the Beverly Hills Super Club remains virtually untouched, and the only reminder of this event is a historical marker at the base of the driveway leading to the former site.
