France's Disco Inferno: The Club Cinq-Sept Fire

Episode 86 In the early hours of November 1st, 1970, celebration turned to catastrophe when a fire tore through the Club Cinq-Sept near Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France. Within minutes, 146 young people were dead — trapped behind padlocked exits, a full-height turnstile, and flammable décor that turned the dance floor into a death trap. This wasn’t just a fire — it was the inevitable result of greed, negligence, and a system that valued profit over safety. In this episode, April breaks down how the building’s design doomed its occupants, why its owners never should’ve been allowed to open, and how French philosopher Guy Debord later used the tragedy to expose the rot beneath a complacent society. Because not every fire should keep burning — and some should have never started at all. Listen to You Should Be Here on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The new season, Cases that Haunt us is out now! The Crime to Burn Patreon - The Cult of Steve - is LIVE NOW! Go join and get all the unhinged you can handle. Click here to be sanctified.  Inner Sanctum Acknowledgments: Eternal gratitude to our Inner Sanctum patrons, Jenny Mercer and Laura Pisciotta, for helping us bring light to the stories others would rather leave in the ashes. Listener discretion is advised. Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated  Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.  If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.  Sources:  The Raven’s Eye. France’s Worst Discotheque Fire – The Horror of the Club 5-7 Disaster. YouTube, Sept 12 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ_C77jqfW4&t=9s Manic Manor Podcast. The Club Cinq-Sept Fire. YouTube, Mar 19 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lnQIkFvw7s Time Magazine. France: An Unusual Silence. Nov 16 1970. https://time.com/archive/6838296/france-an-unusual-silence/ Guy Debord. On the Fire of Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (1971). Translated from French; introduction by René Viénet. BBC News. 1970: Nightclub Inferno ‘Wipes Out a Generation’. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/1/newsid_2537000/2537937.stm Associated Press. 142 Are Killed by Fire in Locked Dance Hall in France. The New York Times, Nov 2 1970.