At around 10:15 p.m. on the 9th of June 1979 a fire broke out on the ghost train
at Luna Park in Sydney Australia. The fire would ultimately claim seven lives,
wiping out almost an entire family in the process. It was a devastating blaze
the true cause of which remains, to this day,
unknown. The ride itself was fairly old at the time of the disaster. It started
life in 1931 as a dark ride at Luna Park Glenelg.
At the time rides of this type were known as pretzel rides, so-called
because the track twisted and turned extremely tightly within the confines of
the ride building. It wasn't until 1937 that the attraction was given a ghostly
makeover and reopened as "The Ghost Ride". Metal cars seated two riders each and,
after being pushed from the station by a ride attendant, followed the preset track
through a series of darkened rooms filled with spooky animatronics, creepy
music, and special effects. While the interior of the ride had been rethemed
and revised constantly over the years the track layout had remained unchanged
since 1936 - the ride was still as twisting and turning and confusing as it
had been back when it was a pretzel dark ride.
Unfortunately the fire suppression systems which had been retrofitted into
the ancient ride were also somewhat out-of-date and dismal insufficient
to smother the blaze that began on that fateful evening in 1979.
There were approximately 35 people on board when the fire began. The first
indication staff had that something was amiss was when smoke began pouring from
the entrance and exit tunnels of the ride. Rather than stop the ride and try
to evacuate guests through the complicated and confusing interior
corridors they left it running and instead focused their energies on
getting guests out of their cars and away from the ride as soon as they
emerged from the tunnel. The fire service attended but by the time they arrived
the fire had already taken hold. Their efforts to extinguish it were further
hampered by low water pressure within the park, leading them to eventually draw
water from the harbor to fight the flames. Within an hour
the entire ride building was consumed, collapsing into a pile of twisted
wreckage. It was thought initially that all riders had been evacuated safely but
at around 11:30 p.m. seven bodies were discovered. They were so badly burned
that investigators at first assumed them to be animatronics from the ride's
theming. The bodies included those of a father and his two children.
John Godson had been visiting Luna Park with his wife and kids. The ghost train
was their final ride of the day and one that his wife declined to join them on.
Instead of riding the ghost train she went to get an ice cream, and agreed to
meet them at the exit of the ride. This decision might very well have saved her
life, but left her as the only surviving member of her family. The other victims
were four schoolchildren from nearby Waverley Boys College: Jonathon Billings,
Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, and Seamus Riley - all just 12 or 13 years old
at the time. It is speculated that when the fire
broke out the seven victims left their cars and attempted to escape the
building on foot. In the dark, confined, smoke-filled passageways of the ghost
train they lost their way and succumbed to the smoke. Although we cannot be
certain, there is a chance that had they remained within their cars they may have
survived the blaze. The cause of the fire itself was never established, although in
later years Abe Saffron, a notorious member of the
Sydney underworld, was linked to the fire. His niece told authorities that he had
started the fire as part of a plot to take control of Luna Park's lease,
although he had never intended for anyone to die. Abe Saffron, of course,
denied all involvement, and nothing was ever proven. The victims of the fire are
now memorialized by a small plaque on the external wall of the big-top arena,
which stands on the one-time site of the Ghost Train. Luna Park continues to
operate as ever it did, visited by millions each year.