Chief Minister states no official request for a Summerland fire inquest has been received despite public calls and comparisons to Dublin ruling.
The group sees similar problems with the Summerland fire. Fifty people died in that 1973 fire. The first inquest found safety issues. Doors were locked, and alarms failed, for instance. Staff were not trained well.
The building used a material called ‘oroglas’. The next year, the inquest called it ‘death by misadventure’. The Dublin fire, ‘Stardust’, started with faulty wiring. Emergency exits were locked.
That inquest was long and large for Ireland. Joney Faragher asked about a new Summerland inquest. She asked this week in the House of Keys.
Mr. Cannan said a law firm wrote on May 20, 2024. They represent loved ones of the 1973 victims.
The letter said they would ask for a new inquest soon. However, the Attorney General has not received the request. He would consider it if he did. Faragher asked if the Dublin ruling changes things.
She asked if it calls for a compassionate new inquest. Mr. Cannan said he can’t judge that. The Attorney General decides about a new inquest.
Justice for Summerland spoke after the Dublin verdict.
They said it was huge for the Dublin fire families. They fought for truth for over 40 years. The group said they won’t give up either. Cannan apologized in 2023 for past wrongs. He apologized before the fire’s 50th anniversary.