The paper presents the reconstruction of the Happyland Social Club fire using the HAZARD I fire hazard assessment method along with an examination of four potential mitigation strategies: automatic sprinklers, a door at the base of the stairway to the second floor, a second means of egress from the second floor, or a noncombustible interior finish. The paper concludes that the traditional second means of egress might have not have eliminated the observed fatalities, and that the noncombustible interior finish or sprinkler options would, with the former being the more cost effective approach.
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