Deadly Ky. fire survivors call for inquiry

SOUTHGATE, Ky., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Several survivors of a 1977 fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Ky., say an inquiry into the blaze that killed 165 people should be reopened.

The survivors have formed a group called The Beverly Hills Supper Club Survivors for Justice and petitioned Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear Monday to resume an investigation into what caused the fire, the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal reported.

Glenn Corbett, of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice said the investigation should be based around a group of nationwide experts who can add new insights into the deadly blaze.

Investigators found the nightclub fire was caused by faulty aluminum wiring and escape efforts were hampered in part by inadequate exits and a lack of fire alarms.

But Shirley Baker, 52, who survived the Southgate fire, said investigators need to look into reports of ceiling work taking place at the club days before the blaze.

"I think it needs to be done," Baker told the Courier-Journal. "I think the truth needs to be known. It needs to come out exactly what the cause was."