NFPA Journal - Fall 2021 - 88

Looking Back
FIRE INCIDENTS AND
OTHER NOTABLE EVENTS
FROM SAFETY HISTORY
Concertgoers at the Indiana state fairgrounds attempt to lift
collapsed metal scaffolding to reach people trapped beneath.
The 2011 incident killed seven people and injured nearly 60.
state fair and concert officials reportedly
did not receive this one. Shortly
after he spoke with Hoye, Weaver was
surprised to hear the event announcer
tell the audience that Sugarland
would go on at 8:50 p.m. At 8:46 p.m,
Weaver repeated his concern to Hoye
that they needed to get people out of
there. An evacuation order was never
issued. Three minutes later, a powerful
gust of wind hit the stage.
A temporary ground-supported
metal structure had been erected to
cover the stage area and hold audio
and lighting equipment. The gust
ripped the structure's large tarp
CONCERT
COLLAPSE
TEN YEARS AFTER: THE INDIANA
STATE FAIR STAGE DISASTER
By Caitlin Walker
O
n the evening of August 13, 2011,
around 12,000 people gathered for an
outdoor concert at the Indiana State
Fairgrounds & Event Center in Indianapolis.
The opening act had wrapped
up, and fans waited for the headliner, the country
duo Sugarland, scheduled to go on at 8:45 p.m.
As they waited, the sky in the west grew
increasingly dark and ominous, and the National
Weather Service warned of an incoming storm.
According to media reports, at around 8:30 p.m,
an off-duty state police captain named Brad
Weaver talked to Cindy Hoye, executive director
of the Indiana State Fair Commission, and urged
her to delay or cancel the show in light of the
incoming weather. Hoye seemed to agree. At 8:39
p.m, the National Weather Service issued a new
severe thunderstorm warning for the area, with
winds over 60 mph. The fair had communication
systems in place to receive these warnings, but the
88 | NFPA JOURNAL * FALL 2021
roof from its frame, and a moment later the supports buckled and
collapsed, sending the structure crashing onto the people below. Many
were trapped under the collapsed rigging and other equipment. Others
rushed to tend to the injured and attempted to lift the heavy scaffolding
off people who were trapped. The collapse killed seven people and
injured 58 others.
In the aftermath, questions arose over who had final authority to
delay or cancel the show. Besides Weaver, media accounts of the incident
indicated that Hoye had also spoken to Sugarland's manager, who
wanted the band to go on despite the threatening weather and advocated
for just a five-minute delay-the plan that was ultimately enacted,
with the provision that the band would stop if the weather worsened.
According to media reports, the Indiana State Fair Commission
hired the engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti to lead an investigation
into why the stage rigging collapsed. It also hired emergency planning
advisors Witt Associates to investigate the fair's emergency plans and
response. Thornton Tomasetti reported that the stage rigging did not
meet industry safety standards, and Witt Associates determined that an
" ambiguity of authority " around who was in charge of public safety-
along with inadequate overall preparedness and emergency response
plans-contributed to the disaster.
The fair commission voted to implement the recommendations
outlined in the reports and hired a chief operations officer to oversee
the process. Despite the failings outlined in the reports and her own
repeated offers to resign, Hoye was kept on as head of the state fair
commission.
THE NFPA LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE holds a rich collection of books, reports, and photographs
that document important moments in fire history. To provide better electronic access for researchers
and to preserve our unique archival holdings, work has begun to digitize the files of the Fire
Record Department, the original NFPA department responsible for collecting and analyzing information
and compiling statistics about key fires and other events. The incidents featured in " Looking
Back " are drawn from this collection and will eventually be part of NFPA's online archive. For information,
visit nfpa.org/library.
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NFPA Journal - Fall 2021

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