Julio González served three years in prison in Cuba during the 1970s for desertion from the Cuban Army. [4] In 1980, he faked a criminal record as a drug dealer to help him gain passage in the Mariel boatlift. [4] The boatlift landed in Florida; he then traveled to Wisconsin and Arkansas and eventually settled in New York, sponsored by the American Council for Nationalities in Manhattan. [4] New York City has seen more than its share of deadly fires in social clubs and nightclubs operating illegally. Celona, Larry; Marques, Stuart; etal. (March 17, 2015). "Fire kills 87 people at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx in 1990". Daily News . Retrieved July 10, 2016. The firefighters of the FDNY were pushed to the limit that day: Ladder 33, Ladder 44 and Engine 92 received Unit Citations, and three firefighters received individual awards for bravery. 1990 Happy Land social club fire Though it doesn’t undo the tragedy, these changes bring some sense of peace to the horrifying story of the Happy Land fire.

anniversary of Happy Land nightclub fire that killed 87". CBS News Crimesider. March 25, 2015 . Retrieved December 29, 2017. Airtight case' against Happy Land arsonist in 1990". NY Daily News. March 17, 2015 . Retrieved December 6, 2016.a b Moore, Tina; Tracy, Thomas (March 18, 2015). "Happy Land mass murderer Julio Gonzalez denied parole". Daily News . Retrieved July 10, 2016. TREADWELL, DAVID; GOLDMAN, JOHN J. (March 26, 1990). "Blaze Kills 87 in N.Y. Social Club: Fire: An employee's ex-boyfriend is arrested on arson and murder charges. Nightspot was operating illegally". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 25, 2017. In the early morning hours of March 25, 1990, in New York City, many young people, mostly Hondurans, entered the Bronx social club for a night of fun, dancing and drinking to celebrate Carnival. One patron argued with his girlfriend, who worked at the club, and he was ejected by a bouncer. Angered, he returned with gasoline and set a fire in the only means of entry and exit. As a result of his act of revenge, 87 people were asphyxiated or burned to death from the vicious fire that raced up the stairwell to the second floor.

Gonzalez, Juan (March 24, 1995). "Little Aid Seen In Club Arson". New York Daily News . Retrieved July 21, 2012. In October 1976, 25 people died and 24 were injured in an arson fire at the Puerto Rican Social Club in the South Bronx. In August 1988, seven people died and 33 were injured, including 12 firefighters, in a suspicious fire at the El Hoyo social club on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. And on March 25, 1990, 87 died and 28 were injured in an arson fire at the Happy Land social club in the Bronx. Nee-naw nee-naw, let’s see how many people, places and animals we can save with the firefighters from the Happyland Fire Station.

The building that housed Happy Land club was managed partly by Jay Weiss, at the time the husband of actress Kathleen Turner. [21] The New Yorker quoted Turner saying that "the fire was unfortunate but could have happened at a McDonald's". [22] The Bronx District Attorney said that the building's owner, Alex DiLorenzo III, and leaseholders Weiss and Morris Jaffe, were not responsible criminally, since they had tried to close the club and evict the tenant. [23] In 1987, Weiss and Jaffe's company, Little Peach Realty Inc., had leased the building space for seven years to the club owner, Elias Colon, who died in the fire. [21] [24] An eviction trial against Colon had been scheduled to start on March 28. [21] Even if Colon had survived the fire, the eviction trial would have been moot, as the building that housed the Happy Land Social Club was condemned and demolished within 24 hours of the fire. [25] Legacy [ edit ]

Russo, Gina. "A History of Deadly Fires and their Memorials". The Station Fire Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015 . Retrieved February 18, 2015. Though the arsonist had been caught, he wasn’t the only guilty party in the devastating Happy Land fire. Investigators then had to hold someone accountable for why 87 Happy Land fire victims were unable to escape the building in the first place. Misdemeanors Charged in Happy Land Fire". New York Times. February 2, 1991 . Retrieved July 20, 2012. Writing eleven years later, FDNY Lt. Thomas Mulligan summarized the experience of the Happy Land fire:Michael Norcia/New York Post Archives /NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images Half of the 87 people killed in the tragedy were no older than 25. Chunky figures for little hands to hold• Inspires imaginative play and can be combined with other Happyland sets for even more make-believe fun. The Happy Land fire was an act of arson that killed 87 people on March 25, 1990. The 87 victims were trapped in the unlicensed Happy Land social club, located at 1959 Southern Boulevard in the West Farms section of the Bronx in New York City, United States. Most of the victims were young Hondurans celebrating Carnival, many of them part of the Garifuna American community. Cuban refugee Julio González, whose former girlfriend was employed at the club, was arrested soon afterward and ultimately convicted of arson and murder.

The 150 firefighters who raced to the scene managed to extinguish the Happy Land fire in five minutes, but even that was too late. “There was one in the street telling us there was loads of people inside, trapped,” Dennis Devlin, one of the first firefighters to arrive, said. “We couldn’t hear anybody screaming, we didn’t hear anybody yelling. There was no one hollering.” Wellmet Take n go fire station Smaller than expected. Sturdy little toy though, my grandson enjoys playing with it. González was charged with 174 counts of murder, two for each victim, and was found guilty on 87 counts of arson and 87 counts of murder on August 19, 1991. For each count, he received the maximum sentence of 25 years to life. He was eligible for parole during March 2015 as New York law states that the sentences for multiple murders occurring during one act must be served concurrently, rather than consecutively. [12] [13] Items that are not available in store will take 3-5 working days to be delivered to your nominated store. a b c d "Fire kills 87 people at the Happy Land Social Club in 1990". NY Daily News . Retrieved December 5, 2016.Six weeks before the fire, he split up with his girlfriend, Lydia Feliciano. Before that, González had lost his job at a lamp factory in Queens. [5] At the time of the fire, he was two weeks behind on the rent of his room, and the owner of the boarding house where he was staying said of him: "From what I know, he was down to his last hope." [5] Incident [ edit ] The portable garage, with carry handle and the chunky characters are just right for the recommended age group. Nicoll, Gregory (December 2, 2000). "Steppin' out again". Creative Loafing . Retrieved July 19, 2016. Happyland is a place of wonder, fuelled by the imagination of each child who travels there. Designed for little hands, the Happyland Village Collection helps little ones discover the world and develop social skills. Happyland doors are designed to be removed easily during play so little hands can discover cause and effect