For years now, schoolies have copped so much shit from all the hardcore partying and messing around they’ve done on the Gold Coast, giving young Aussies nationwide a bad name. But just this morning, one of the Coast’s most notorious nightclubs, Shooters, was destroyed in a fire. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, and over 1000 people were evacuated onto Orchid Street, making things quite packed. But believe it or not, it wasn’t the youngin’s fault!
The fire broke out on level one of the Top of the Mark apartment building directly above the nightclub (where many schoolies were staying) around 12.30am due to a faulty electrical switchboard at the hotel caught fire, spreading to Shooters. The nightclub’s ceiling over the front entrance collapsed, though many clubbers were oblivious to what was going on at first. Toxic smoke from the faulty switchboard spread throughout the hotel, the nightclub and the whole district, making police warn locals to avoid the area. Within five minutes of this happening, everyone was being evacuated and everyone was pretty much alright (although the 58 residents staying at the Mark complex had to spend the night at a community sports centre in Southport; wonder if they’ll get their deposit back?)
What a bummer this was to happen at Schoolies! It’s fantastic that no one died, but what a damper this night will have been for the kids who just finished high school, only to have the very real possibility of their lives ending straight after. Their whole lives would’ve just been primary school and high school; eew! Now these kids are probably too shaken up to enjoy the rest of their holiday. Granted, I’m sure this was an isolated incident that won’t happen at any other nightclubs while they are there, but I’d imagine it’d be somewhat off putting. But you know clubbers; nothing can hold them down from drinking and partying for too long, ey?
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