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Survivors Remember Deadliest Nightclub Fire In U.S. History

BOSTON (AP) — Survivors of the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history have gathered with families of the victims killed in the decades-old Boston blaze.

Tuesday will mark the 75th anniversary of the Nov. 28, 1942, fire at the former Cocoanut Grove club. Two people who escaped the blaze joined former Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn and others at the Revere Hotel on Saturday afternoon.

Cocoanut Grove
Cocoanut Grove fire damage (WBZ-TV)

A documentary about the fire, "Six Locked Doors," premiered at the event on Stuart Street, where the nightclub was located. The film features accounts from the survivors.

Nearly 500 people were killed in the blaze. An estimated 1,000 people were in the building at the time.

Cocoanut Grove fire
Boston Globe from the day after the Cocoanut Grove fire (WBZ-TV)

The fire at what had been one of Boston's foremost nightspots led to new requirements for sprinkler systems and exits.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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