Three people were killed and 17 were injured Thursday night in a blaze that destroyed The Fire Pit, 230 N. Pembroke St. The Fire Pit billed itself as Madison's hottest nightclub,\ which was verified by firefighters who said the temperature inside the building reached several hundred degrees before collapsing.
Survivors told harrowing stories of the nightclub fire's unfortunate victims.
""So my buddy Matt says to me, ‘Dude, there's a smokin' hot chick at three o'clock,'"" patron Jacob Eisemann said. ""I turned around and saw her, a young woman covered in smoldering third-degree burns. It was a horrible sight I will never forget.""
""I ran into this girl from my sociology class who told me to check out the dead sexy guy at the bar,"" said UW-Madison junior Ashley Riesling, another survivor of the fire. ""When I spotted him, I found my classmate's assessment had been absolutely correct: He died of smoke inhalation, and he had indeed been a very attractive man.""
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the Madison Fire Department said an investigation is already underway.
""One couple we spoke to said they felt sparks when they kissed for the first time on the dance floor,"" firefighter Ray Slauskowitz said. ""So we're looking into the possibility of an electrical fire.""
Slauskowitz added, however, that arson or even a domestic terrorist bombing has not been ruled out, as the same couple had been described by others as having some real chemistry between them.
Fire Pit owner Richter Ashe said he regrets the tragedy but expressed a desire to rebuild.
""Not here, though,"" Ashe said. ""I've just bought a property in California, off the San Andreas Fault. I'm calling it Richter's. I think my new club will really create a rumble in the community. Send out shockwaves, you know?""
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