# The mall is burning!, quick close the doors!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 5, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529 "2004-08-05T23:12:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/1 "2004-08-05T23:12:05Z")
[The death toll has already risen to 450](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3526436.stm) I just saw a news update, an interview to a fire department officer, he reported that one of his men **WAS SHOT AT BY THE SECURITY PERSONEL WHEN HE TRIED TO BREAK A DOOR TO LET THE PEOPLE OUT!!** ; it sounds awful, but I really hope those guards are part of the victims list. The owner of the mall gave the order though, sometimes linching isn´t a bad option, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/2 "2004-08-05T23:25:08Z")
[One survivor, Rosa Resquin, said she heard someone shouting “close them, close them!” and “no one gets out of here without paying.”](http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/02/1091412045518.html) [A guard of the Ycua Bolanos supermarket fired a shot at a firefighter who attempted to force his way into the supermarket to rescue people. “I am a firefighter,” he shouted. The guard, who was extremely nervous, fired another shot at the firefighter but missed.](http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12584504&BRD=2305&PAG=740&dept_id=226956&rfi=6) Humanity meets a new low… ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/3 "2004-08-05T23:28:54Z")
Wow. I mean, just… wow. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/4 "2004-08-06T00:16:15Z")
¡Coño! :eek: That’s all I can say. ☹😕 ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/5 "2004-08-06T00:22:43Z")
There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the doors were actually locked, but if they were, heads will roll. Crazy what people will do for money. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/6 "2004-08-06T00:26:11Z")
That is truly horrible. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/7 "2004-08-06T00:57:22Z")
> [@Thaumaturge](#): > > There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the doors were actually locked, but if they were, heads will roll. Crazy what people will do for money. So far, the only people who have claimed that6 the doors weren’t lcoked were either owners, shareholders, or management. Every other witness on the scene seems to agree that the doors were locked. (One of the emergency exits was actually _welded shut_ as a permanent security measure.) A security guard testified that he was ordered to lock the doors, and the owner, his son, and three security guards have been charged with manslaughter. People will go to prison over this one. It beggars belief. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/8 "2004-08-06T01:01:20Z")
This is insane. And horrifying. :eek: ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/9 "2004-08-06T02:28:26Z")
My god that’s sick. Locking the doors and shooting at people while the building burns? How can they live with themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/10 "2004-08-06T02:33:33Z")
\One survivor, Rosa Resquin, said she heard someone shouting “close them, close them!” and “no one gets out of here without paying.” \ What the fuck kind of heartless and STUPID jackass puts not only the customers, but the employees at risk over a few lousy dollars? The kind that never has to worry about this sort of thing again, I’m betting. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/11 "2004-08-06T02:38:11Z")
I wanted to start a thread on this topic myself, but I found it so disturbing that I didn’t have the words for it. I still don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/12 "2004-08-06T02:42:18Z")
_Noone gets out of here without paying._ He won’t know how right he is until the lawsuits hit. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/13 "2004-08-06T02:46:11Z")
[QUOTE=Arden RangerWhat the fuck kind of heartless and STUPID jackass puts not only the customers, but the employees at risk over a few lousy dollars?QUOTE] Specially if you keep in mind that the place was burning down; I mean, the goods were gone already, wether the costumers took them or left them behind. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/14 "2004-08-06T16:40:55Z")
Apparently, the owners and the security staff are now admitting that the order to close the doors was indeed given. But not by them. By the logistical suport manager. Convenien…err…I mean… unfortunately, this person died in the fire. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/15 "2004-08-06T16:50:58Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > _Noone gets out of here without paying._ > > He won’t know how right he is until the lawsuits hit. Not to sound ignorant, but does Paraguay have a legal system where these people will be able to exact some justice? \ ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/16 "2004-08-06T17:31:15Z")
I’m not not wanting to excuse managerial idiocy and locked emergency exist, but; Many people when faced with a real fire seriously under-estimate the immediate threat it poses. They think it’s small and nothing to worry panic about, and it’s not going to get any bigger, or it’ll take a while to get bigger and by then it’ll will have be handled. They don’t have any experience in the speed and danger of a real fire. By the time they **do** appreciate how dangerous it is, it is often already too late. So it’s not unusual for people to behave inappropriately when faced with a fire emergency. Perhaps some of the quoted empolyees didn’t at first fully appreciate the scale of emergency they were facing, and so reverted to everyday security concerns. “Sure, there’s a fire,” they think. “But it’s not big enough to excuse people paying before they leave. Time enough for that.” Similarly, it’s not unusual for others to attempt to put out a fire they really haven’t a prayer against. Again, they don’t appreciate the danger they are in. This is why it’s so important to have a rehearsed fire drill. Something that people can do automatically, rather than letting them try and work out the best course of action in a situation they have no experience of. Obviously this shopping mall didn’t and that’s the management and owner’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Means\_Go](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cc9497/32.png) [@Green\_Means\_Go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Means_Go)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/17 "2004-08-06T18:00:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Many people when faced with a real fire seriously under-estimate the immediate threat it poses. They think it’s small and nothing to worry panic about, and it’s not going to get any bigger, or it’ll take a while to get bigger and by then it’ll will have be handled. They don’t have any experience in the speed and danger of a real fire. I don’t see how this justifies shooting at fireman who were trying to get the doors opened. It also doesn’t justify locking the doors and then disappearing. The guards appear to have gotten out, which would seem to indicate that they were quite aware of the danger and fled the building. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/18 "2004-08-06T18:33:54Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Not to sound ignorant, but does Paraguay have a legal system where these people will be able to exact some justice? > > \ Most probably. Especially since it seems to have been a major shock for the population which is apparently calling for blood, and many officials have clearly expressed their disgust. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/19 "2004-08-06T18:51:20Z")
> [@](#): > > The first crew of firefighters arrived at the site in approximately 20 minutes. > > Citing witnesses, officer Velazco said that the private guards “first locked the doors and then disappeared”. > > The officer, who was visibly shaken, reported that a woman who was seven to eight months pregnant was burnt to death, but before dying she delivered her baby, who inhaled toxic gas and died too. Three sentences pretty sums up the horror caused by unpreparedness, stupidity and greed, and the ultimate horror that ensued. ---
**Author:** ![Andros\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Andros\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andros_X)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529/20 "2004-08-06T20:27:05Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > …the owner, his son, and three security guards have been charged with manslaughter. Actually, according to the The Age cite, the owner’s going to be charged with homicide. As well he should – this is execrable. What kind of sick fuck do you have to be to keep people escaping from a burning building for the virtue of a little cash? Anyway, I hope this guy gets what’s coming to him – a long prison sentence, and a hefty lawsuit. People like this slime make me ashamed to be human. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mall-is-burning-quick-close-the-doors/258529.md?page=2)