Fire: Trapped On The 37th Floor

This movie was broadcast on WABC-TV in New York in 1991. This movie is based on a true story that occurred in May of 1988 at the First Interstate Bank building in Los Angeles. The movie is mostly complete. A few minutes of the beginning and the ending are missing as they were not recorded on the VHS video tape.

[@benwade4025]

I remember watching this on TV one day when I was sick off school, was a great day! My Dad set up the Nintendo in my room before he went to work and watched this and played Mario Bros in between naps

[@Megadextrious]

That sounds like a good old day in the 90s lol I loved those sick days! Watching daytime tv and playing video games, pretending to be more sick than you are 😆

[@mariekatherine5238]

If you could play video games, you weren’t that sick! We never got away with staying home if we’ll enough to watch tv, play, etc. The only exceptions would have been when on the mend waiting for measles rash or chicken pox scars to fall off! And then we’d be working to catch up to resume with our classmates upon return to school! Mom would take us to or call the doctor to visit! If not that sick, we’d get light chores to keep us busy.

[@mikez.6309]

You're definitely my age

[@silviajones2383]

I have so much respect for firefighters and first responders. This is a great movie and thank you for posting

[@evegreen6434]

Old films are the best ones

[@taraelizabethdensley9475]

Pity many of these old films are not available on dvd or blu ray

[@erikestrada1544]

@4:32 the classy and beautiful Angela Bassett makes her entrance. This was one her early films in her career.

[@cherokeekid9491]

I remember watching this live. The part about the pumps not working is true, but the rooftop rescue didn't happen due to unstable vertical updrafts causes by the fire

[@marywise7661]

from what i read the rooftop rescue did indeed happen

[@scootermom1791]

​@@marywise7661same!

[@kimberlysevastyanenko3798]

I remember watching this when it aired on TV. I think I was around 12. I was obsessed with firefighting and EMS. After the movie I found an old pair of ski goggles and fashioned it into a firefighter's mask. I then pulled out a couple of my old dolls and reenacted this movie by "rescuing" the dolls. Lol

[@scootermom1791]

That's awesome! Did you choose a career as a fire fighter or paramedic?

[@nzfirephotography]

The Firefighters and the Crew and the Trucks are my favourite!🚒🚒👨‍🚒👨‍🚒

[@craiglouden83]

Absolutely love this movie

[@randolphtwells1360]

This movie is like a difference to the 9/11 incident as a reference in 2001, and this televised movie from ABC 7 shows that many people should not take the elevators if there is a fire because it is very dangerous; it could lead to death. Take the stairs!

[@VSDalSheron]

was this the incident that triggered that policy?

[@TaiderineU3]

@@VSDalSheron This might be unrelated but you could try looking up the First Interstate Bank Tower fire to try and find out

[@plateshutoverlock]

What's really horrifying is that elevator might had stayed stopped at the 12th floor with the doors open because of a safety mechanism designed to shut down elevators during a fire. A lot of people in the Twin Towers were literally locked inside some of the elevators due to a mechanism designed to prevent people from forcing open the doors. Usually you are supposed to wait for rescue but 9/11 was not a normal situation. The people who escaped from an express elevator by digging a hole through the sheetrock shaft wall and into a bathroom were lucky their elevator didn't have these door locks.

[@nopcshere6097]

The engineer who went up to the 12th floor had no idea there was a raging fire at the time. No way anyone could've foreseen that. And the stairs were full of smoke so anyone trying to escape using them would have passed out and died from smoke inhalation. In the MGM Grand Hotel fire of 1980, pretty much all the victims died from smoke inhalation, some in stairwells but most in their rooms or on balconies. Most weren't anywhere near the fire, which was on the ground floor - they were all above it.

[@pushvedula5640]

Yeah, there are signs clearly and strictly instructing people to not use elevators during fire smh unless the Fire Dept and building authority somewhat investigate and verify an operational elevator is safe for use then sure it’s fine then I guess, until then you use the stairs and you don’t wait around to see if it will be safe to use it or not, and yea I believe the FD and the Port Authority let this one group down via a service elevator from the 41st floor to the lobby when the North Tower was being evacuated on 9/11…..

[@OliverJanotta]

The movie is based on the First Interstate Tower fire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Interstate_Tower_fire

[@UNIDADB8]

No hablo ingles vi esta pelicula cuando era aspirante a bomberos y la use en varias capacitaciones. gracais pro subirla

[@KnightRider55]

De nada.

[@UNIDADB8]

@Itme gracias por sus deseos, no fue facil pero lo logre, auqnue me tuve que retirar prematuramente por razones de salud, pero incurdsionamos en otras areas relacionadas aplicando lo aprendido y la experiencia, en dias pasados le comparti esta pelicula a una amiga que ingreso al curos de formacion d ebomberos voluntarios

[@scootermom1791]

​@@UNIDADB8I love that you shared this movie with your friend. It accurately shows how quickly a fire goes from tiny to huge! It is so scary! I have nothing but respect for firefighters and all other first responders.

[@marywise7661]

i have always disliked really high buildings like this one.the fire ladders cant go passed a certain floor .like 12 is as high as they can reach but they still continue to make buildings with at least 30 floors? ridiculous.some buildings built before 1974 are not required to have sprinklers and that is a death trap to me.all high rise buildings should be required to have them

[@scootermom1791]

It depends on the state you live in. California, for example, requires that all high-rise buildings built prior to 1974 must be retrofitted with sprinkler systems. The First Interstate Tower was built in 1973 which was just a year shy of the mandate for all new high-rise buildings to be built with sprinkler systems. It's too bad First Interstate didn't have their new building retrofitted to include sprinklers right away. They weren't required to, technically, but still.... 😢

[@yellowishyoutubechannel3900]

Good movie

[@markkirby-kh6yc]

Lisa Hartman is fabulous. She even made 4 albums.

[@evegreen7604]

Should always take the false alarms seriously

[@scootermom1791]

Exactly! Better safe than sorry.

[@marishkaambrus8381]

so sad that these "old movies" cant' be remastered to not be blurry on new p.c screens with more pixels

[@KarlSturmgewher]

I'm looking for that movie in a building with the elevator shaft fire, and the rooftop climax.

[@zacharymyers3460]

The movie you’re talking about is 1974s’ The Towering Inferno

[@zacharymyers3460]

Or possibly backdraft

[@AndrewJamesWilliams]

And it was all started by a single overloaded electrical circuit.

[@albear972]

These old made for TV movies are such an old gem of crap! I love the super ambiguous traffic reporter and showing scenes of the fire trucks that miraculously move from one side of the city to another in one shot. LA viewer here.

[@kenwelckle367]

It's centrally a modern day version of towering inferno

[@49LivingtheDream]

Only its a true story.

[@scootermom1791]

Exactly, but sadly it's true. The Towering Inferno writers essentially predicted this would happen. 😢

[@Johnny2-r1l]

16:19 you know these windows in this shot just look like the windows inside the twin tower floors

[@1stwonder788]

Creepy

[@briankistner4331]

Better upload compared to a couple others. Image is a bit better, as is sound and no captions in a foreign language. And Lisa Hartman was a BABE back then ! Very nice pair of legs.

[@roguedalek900]

Truth

[@jeromewade4110]

Lisa Hartman is still married to country music legend Clint Black.

[@evie4365]

Never go on lifts when there’s a fire 🔥

[@Skellitor301_VA]

they didn't know there was one.

[@scootermom1791]

Right? The poor guy who was engulfed in flames when checking on the 12th floor alarm should have taken the stairs...at least from the 11th to the 12th floor. But, as the other person said, they didn't know there was one. They thought it was another false alarm. This goes to show you that every alarm should be treated as if it were real. It's too bad First Interstate took their time retrofitting their building with sprinklers. If they'd done it right after the mandate in 1974 that said all new high-rise buildings were to include sprinkler systems, the elevator guy wouldn't have died.

[@jonlockett8445]

not as spectacular as the Towering Inferno but a very worthy effort indeed for a tv movie,reallly trying to Show the dire effects of smoke Inhalation.somehow it helped to have Police chief Sterling(i think the Name was) looking and sounding just like Lee Majors,sort of harked it back a liittle while to the daysof the 70s disaster movies and the early 80s Action tv Shows that I grew up glady with.wonder why the chiefs didnt agree to shoot out the Windows and create an inflow of sweet fresh air.....??....even the smoggy LA air would be a Blessing compared to what the civilians were trying to breathe inside the building.....by the way I hope someone has by now uploaded Fire (1977) ,the forest fire pic with Ernest Borgnine?I havent checked for a while but was disappointed not to find it a while back.thanks for the upload.

[@nopcshere6097]

I think it was because shooting out windows would: 1. Create a hazard of falling glass; 2. Endanger firefighters or trapped civilians from flying bullets or glass; 3. Potentially create a backdraft in an area where the fire or heat might be trapped. The in rush of air would cause flames to sweep in through the affected area and kill anyone in it. So there are sound reasons for Chief Sterling to deny that suggestion.

[@jonlockett9732]

@@kingtigercrownestate9102 Sorry ,didn't mean to offend .Guess I better be careful what I say in my comments!!!However I stick to my guns about appreciating movies (whether based on real Events or not) that have terrific stuntwork and spectacular Special effects.As well as a great script.And Towering Inferno had all of that and a star-studded cast as a Bonus.I said this movie here was a very worthy effort indeed for a TV movie.We all have a right to express our tastes and preferences,so try to chill out a tad willya?

[@jonlockett9732]

@@kingtigercrownestate9102 another Thing.....I am very grieved when People die horrid deaths in real life,so please don't get me wrong on that score.But many movies (like Towering) are about escapism.One can enjoy the way they're made but when something like it happens for real then it's a terrible Thing.

[@jjMcCartan9686]

It is lee majors you clampet 😂😂

[@joeyrousch2438]

Hi my name is joey and I am a former chesterfield,county,virginia firefighter I was a firefighter from 2004 untill 2014 when I got hurt fighting a 4 alarm house fire 7 days before Chirstmas in 2014.

[@KnightRider55]

Hi. I'm sorry to hear about your injuries. Thank you for your service. I hope you were able to recover from your injuries.

[@joeyrousch2438]

Knight Rider 55 Do you if the t.v.show code red will ever be put on d.v.d.joey.

[@KnightRider55]

@@joeyrousch2438 I checked around online and was unable to find this TV show for streaming or on DVD. I don't know if it will ever be released on DVD.

[@joeyrousch2438]

Knight Rider 55 oh well thanks any for trying.

[@roguedalek900]

@@KnightRider55 I'd love to find 240R . There used to be episodes but they have been removed . I remember this and the 77 Borgnine movie. Early 70s to late 80s there were some good made for TV movies. Remember the movie Sunshine from 74? It morphed into a short TV series . It was inspired by a true story.

[@evegreen7604]

Can’t believe the operator didn’t take it seriously

[@nopcshere6097]

I believe they had been having numerous problems with false alarms and that's why they ignored the alarm that turned out to be real.

[@scootermom1791]

Yeah, they should have treated all alarms as if they were real regardless of how frustrating it was. It wouldn't have hurt to check each one out. This is a lesson for everyone. I used to work for a corporation that held regular fire drills. Unfortunately, employees were often slow to evacuate and even reluctant to leave their work spaces for the drills. We had a real fire at one point; employees thought it was a drill and were slow to evacuate. Thankfully the real fire was dealt with quickly and no one was hurt. What people don't realize is most people who die in fires die from smoke inhalation. Evacuating slowly puts people at higher risk of inhaling deadly fumes. 😢

[@jonlockett8445]

sorry,i meant FIRE chief not police

[@evegreen7604]

The operator should respond whatever false call there is

[@Skellitor301_VA]

The fire was first alerted around 10:22pm on May 4, 1988 when a smoke detector on the 12th floor of the building activated. However, due to ongoing work on the sprinkler system being installed that evening, security personal immediately silenced the alarm, believing the activation to be a false alarm.[4] Six minutes later, almost every smoke detectors from floors 12 thru 30 activated.[5] The fire was not reported to emergency services until people outside the building called 911. (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Interstate_Tower_fire ) It's easy to look back at a 40 year old fire and say what should have happened differently. Hindsight is 20/20. However, in the moment, people don't think like you would looking back on something, because in the moment you are in the moment, not thinking something could be amiss. With the installation of the fire sprinklers, they were getting tons of false alarms, so the system was faulty. They didn't have the manpower to answer every single call there were that many, so they eventually ignored them while the sprinkler system was being installed.

[@scootermom1791]

​@@Skellitor301_VAit's ironic that the fire occured just before the sprinklers were being installed. So sad! 😢

[@Skellitor301_VA]

@@scootermom1791 Not really ironic, more ill fated? Too little too late? Not sure what the right expression is right now but yeah, it's a tragedy none the less.

[@hoopdancer417]

Missing the last 5 mins of the movie

[@KnightRider55]

I apologize about that. That is all that I could recover from the video tape.

[@jah9050]

13:25 fire

[@shawnehoward]

I just found out about the fire yesterday and I work in the same building, and you would never know that it even happened.😲 Then I found out a movie was made about it. They had to have spent a ton on this movie. Although parts are very realistic, it’s somewhat wonky. That was the 80’s for ya!

[@nyyzoso800]

Did they use the actual building in the exterior shots?

[@nopcshere6097]

@@nyyzoso800 Pretty sure they did.

[@emt5330]

If I'm not mistaken, the actual building can be seen in the exterior shots at the fire scene.

[@keithtaft5540]

What started the real fire ?

[@jaggg.3821]

After, The Towering Inferno everybody else started shooting Rip off's of the disaster flick till the real horror took place on 9/11!

[@Esotelien]

This is a true story.

[@jaggg.3821]

@@Esotelien oh sorry I know that 9/11 happened I watched it unfold like everybody else, I was just commenting about another's discussion pertaining to comparing the real events of 9/11 with that 1974? Disaster Flick The Towering Inferno. Sorry I didn't mean to confuse anyone.

[@Esotelien]

@jaggg.3821 no problem.

[@scootermom1791]

This isn't a "rip off;" it actually happened. The First Interstate Tower in Los Angeles really did catch fire in the 12th floor. Many of the events portrayed in this film were accurate - including the security guard who died as a result of the elevator opening up on the 12th floor.

[@scootermom1791]

​​@@jaggg.3821interesting that people would relate this film to the 9/11 events when the film was produced in 1991. Lol 😅 I think it's uncanny how the events that occurred IRL in the First Interstate Tower were so similar to the fictional "The Towering Inferno" movie: an electrical system starting the fire; no sprinkler system; not taking the alarm system seriously; maintenance being performed when the fire took place; etc. I think in "The Towering Inferno" movie, they even had someone die when the elevators opened after he'd been sent to check on the alarm in that movie. I realize many of the things predicted in Towering were common occurrences, but for so many of those things to happen at one time in the real fire is so weird. And the elevator guy in Towering vs the elevator guy in the real event was especially uncanny! Did they have a crystal ball that let them see this future fire? 😮 🫢

[@maashukahmed40]

I just saw this movie in TV

[@paddyduffy1]

a cheaper version of towering inferno

[@neonhomer]

Also reminds me of the 1st episode of the "7th" season of Emergency!... "The Steel Inferno"...

[@msbigdog1460]

​@@neonhomersame here, lol. Just re-watched that episode yesterday. 👍

[@athay14]

Definitely much cheaper and mediocre acting.

[@scootermom1791]

Only it's based off the 1988 First Interstate fire that occurred in CA. There were 2 REAL people stuck in a building where a REAL fire started on the 12th floor. Most of the other significant occurrences were portrayed accurately like the water pumps being turned off for maintenance; security not taking the alarms seriously because of prior false alarms; and a security guard checking on an alarm really died when the elevator opened up the 12th floor. The writers of "The Towering Inferno" basically predicted this would happen IRL. I love that movie!

[@terryhoyt2058]

Buildings on fire. Smoke coming out of this air duct. I know! Lets stuff 100 yards of flammable printer paper into it!

[@geraldjr293]

Better make it 200 yards, just to make sure it gets good and hot 😂😂

[@scootermom1791]

They had to use whatever was available. IMO they should have used paper towels soaked in water, but I'm sure there wouldn't have been enough to cover all the vents. They needed to block the smoke, which was the immediate danger, from entering through the vents on their floor. Fire was the least concern. It hadn't reached their floor and wasn't above them. They were smart to stuff the vents: doing so gave them more time to survive until help arrived.

[@scootermom1791]

Btw, I know you were being sarcastic...I just wanted to respond as if weren't.

[@scootermom1791]

BTW, I know you were being sarcastic, but I wanted to respond as if you weren't.

[@HamishWood-n7d]

. ​@@scootermom1791

[@scottw6704]

I just started this but....13:22 so this fire starts for absolutely no reason? I don't see a receptacle or a short or anything...

[@Esotelien]

They weren't 100% sure precisely what started the fire, but it was believed to have been electrical. I guess they made it ambiguous for the movie.

[@plateshutoverlock]

I really hope they weren't running extention cords under the carpet. 😓

[@friskoff2]

It’s a cable running along the wall we see on fire

[@brianlevy9530]

DO WE KNOW HOW THE FIRE STARTED???

[@KnightRider55]

I found the following information online: "The fire's origin has been attributed to overloading of the building's electrical system by reactive distortion of lighting circuit currents." I found this information at the following website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Interstate_Tower_fire.

[@jjMcCartan9686]

Watched this when it came out .I'd just turned 16 .Was never released on dvd .

[@ryangardner9683]

Pipe wrench , some piping ?// wtf is some piping…..

[@marcjaennert]

Gibt's den Film auch irgendwo auf deutsch?

[@KnightRider55]

Meines Wissens nach nicht.

[@vivian2217]

Ich glaube nights. Ich habe das internet gesucht.

[@jjMcCartan9686]

Yes its called die hard .😂

[@PeterWendel-t4x]

Ja, er heisst Feuersturm im Wolkenkratzer... auf VHS gab ihn eventuell bei ebay

[@marjorieperry3745]

God PLEASE HELP THEM 🙏 😢

[@ml50486965]

surprisingly good tv-movie. Just one drop of acid: Instead of resorting to one of the worst cliches of films by letting her scream her lungs out at a helicopter, why didn´t they make her signal with one of the lamps that by some miracle was still on?

[@scootermom1791]

This was a movie based off a real fire. They accurately depicted most of the events as they happened in real life. If I had to get on a helicopter, I'd probably scream, too. Then again, I'd probably quit my job if I had to work on any floor above #2. I'm extremely scared of heights! 😮

[@ryangardner9683]

The pumps are off ?///

[@nopcshere6097]

They were conducting maintenance on the sprinkler systems about 1hr before the fire started and had them turned off. By the time the building engineer knew there was a fire, he had to get his people out of the building first and then alert the fire department once they were out.

[@takethehighroad5027]

why would door to stairs be locked that is idiotic to imagine that. an escape route should never be blocked

[@TheGroundedAviator]

From one way yeah it is locked. It's unlocked from the office side.

[@Skellitor301_VA]

That's not uncommon especially today. Stairways are locked for security but they are only locked from the stairway going in. You can still open the door from the other side.

[@suefergusson5351]

Q; which came first this or Towering Inferno, pretty much the only difference is T.I. had a song in it, different actors etc.

[@tiadaid]

Towering Inferno was made in the 1970s and is fictional. This was made in the 1990s, and was actually based on a real incident, the First Interstate Tower fire in 1988.

[@neonhomer]

Additionally, The Towering Inferno is based off of two separate books, one being "The Glass Inferno" and the other being "The Tower" (which I own both in hardcover :) ) which are essentially the same books; same disaster but different plots and characters. Warner Brothers owned the rights to "The Tower" and 20th Century Fox owned "The Glass Inferno". Both studios shared the costs, but was actually produced by Fox. The film cost $14.3 million. (Source: Wikipedia)

[@scootermom1791]

The "Towering Inferno" came first. This fire, though, occured in 1988 in the First Interstate Tower. Many of the events portrayed in the film were surprisingly accurate - even the part about the security guy who died when the elevator opened up to the 12th floor! 😢 The writers of "The Towering Inferno" essentially predicted this would happen. It's uncanny how in "The Towering Inferno," there wasn't a sprinkler system; the fire alarms weren't taken seriously; the fire occured at night as a result of an electrical system failure; etc. It's like the writers of "The Towering Inferno" had a premonition about the real events that would occur during the First Interstate building fire a decade into the future. 😮

[@gibby7233]

The begining is missing

[@KnightRider55]

Unfortunately this is all I had recorded on the VHS tape. I must have pressed the record button too late.

[@gibby7233]

@@KnightRider55 Ok Sorry

[@bryancunningham1095]

Needed to knock a window out and get a light source moving in that window, fire is far enough that you would not fuel it by knocking a window out. Maybe even knock window out on several sides of the building. Death would be from smoke inhalation not frlm fire, breathing would be highest priority.

[@paulonorato6886]

Good luck with that. Unbreakable windows.

[@scootermom1791]

​@@paulonorato6886 exactly what I was going to say. Lol 😅

[@ليثجادو-ص8ط]

Fire 5:45

[@manassesbarreto]

Estou assistindo aqui do Brasil em Salvador-BA sem entender inglês 😂

[@Mapex_178]

30:13

[@evegreen7604]

If that was me I would rip my clothing to wear as a mask

[@Arya-su3jv]

Um why are people running around with faces breathing in smoke when it's common knowledge that you get low as possible as smoke rises .? Also why weren't the damn sprinklers turned on after that expert gave the ok ? That fire chief took his time. I would have had the sprinklers on the second the expert oked it .

[@Arya-su3jv]

But I guess they had to stand upright for the sake of filming when normally you'd be crawling to avoid too much smoke inhalation.

[@alyzu4755]

Well now, you're just asking characters in a TV movie to use common sense! That NEVER happens! 😊

[@stage7136]

@@Arya-su3jv ikr this is kinda dumb

[@roguedalek900]

@@stage7136 It was inspired by a real event.

[@roguedalek900]

@@alyzu4755 This movie was based on a real event

[@TNHFPRODUCTIONS987]

Towering Inferno 2?

[@robertbroughton1443]

World Trade Center: Towering Inferno 3.

[@scootermom1791]

Nope. This movie was based off an actual fire that occurred in 1988. The First Interstate Tower caught fire as a result of some kind of electrical problem. There really were 2 people stuck on the 37th floor. The First Interstate Tower fire really began on the 12th floor, too. Many of the significant events portrayed in this movie really happened including the security guard who died while checking on the alarm from the 12th floor. He actually rode the elevator up to the floor and was engulfed in flames as soon as the elevator opened. 😢😢😢

[@steveoranges1960]

I can tell just looking at the PC cast of firefighters and structure engineer that this is a *very* loosely based story of the real event. It should be a crime to misrepresent like this

[@paulhart9102]

It's not a documentary !

[@j.armstrong9021]

It's a MOVIE.

[@Alex-x8c]

If you want to do a movie with only white men,you go right ahead

[@scootermom1791]

​​@@Alex-x8c why do people always have to make things about race for crying out loud?!? 😠 BTW, you must have not watched the movie. There are people of all races in it. 🙄

[@AAA-uy2ob]

Lousy alarm system