Dupont Plaza fire/San Juan, PR-12.31.86 (Part 1)

Rare television footage from that horrifying day on New Year's Eve-1986. The Dupont Plaza in San Juan, Puerto Rico was my home for three years (on and off) just before the fire. It was an amazing place that carries many great memories for me. The quality isn't that great but it's a miracle this footage exists at all.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Puerto
• Rico
• fire
• San
• Juan
• accident

[pipendale]

We visited Puerto Rico in 1981 and stayed at this hotel on the 5th floor it was 2 week holiday from England - All these unlucky people who died in 1986 RIP.. It was a very sad time in the history of the country .

[matienzony]

Thanks for uploading this footage. I was 12 years old when this happened, and still remember watching the live images on TV. Will never forget the feeling of mourning throughout San Juan and all of Puerto Rico in the days and weeks that followed. My condolences to those who lost loved ones, and my gratitude to the heroes who risked their lives to save others. I have been at the site now that the hotel has reopened as a Marriott, and still cannot believe it was the site of such a tragedy

[killy642]

Nick Bucci is my gym teacher at my school, I feel bad he had to go through this tragedy.

[Tripjoe]

We were the band who played in the lounge,We enjoyed our stay there and were looking forward to coming back, But when My Manager told me we were going to be there on New Year eve, I got a really bad feeling I told him to cancle our contract. I didn't want to go.they gave me a suite on the 15th or 16th floor in the corner looking over the Ocean, as the fire was going on I looked at that room and I would have been in trouble.I lost a lot of friends in this fire God Bless ( 1-1-2012) Joe

[figment1988]

@Tripjoe a father of my cousins was slated to attend some event as well, but due to a strange twist of fate, he was late and ended up not going there. And a friend of my father's died there. He was an agent who was working with the government who was investigating rampant use of counterfeit money in many of the casinos including the one in the Dupont.

[angeljrusf]

My dad was flying in the PR Police helicopter picking people off the roof.. I had just turned 6 when this happened and I remember watching on TV scared for my dad.

[meatman310]

Thanks for posting. I stayed at the Dupont in June 1986 with my sister and parents, I was 9yrs old. I remember how shocked we were watching this disaster on the news later that year.

[inquieto909]

i work in thet hotel right now marriot and its still has the same structure adn every new years eve they have a moment of silence (sorry for my english)

[Paramedicpr835]

Yo llevaba solo 2 meses trabajando como Paramedico con Emergencias Medicas Estatal cuando eso sucedio y fue una experiencia terrible.

[lsplash]

Mi padre fué de los primeros Bomberos en entrar al hotel y me comenta que lo primero que se encontró a su paso fuéron los cuerpos de dos niños abrazados, quemados, justo a la entrada del hotel, a solo pasos de la salida. Ese día no supimos nada de mi padre hasta pasadas las 12 de la medianoche, para entonces no habian celulares.

[sugarcaneborikua]

i just started working in plaza las americas when this happened, i feel very sorrow what happened to this people