From The Study Club to Today: Detroit’s fight to prevent club fires episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 6, 2026 · 6 MIN

From The Study Club to Today: Detroit’s fight to prevent club fires

from WWJ: On-Demand

Following last week’s deadly nightclub fire in Switzerland, the Detroit Fire Department is spotlighting its efforts to prevent bar and club fires locally. Nearly a century ago, on September 20, 1929, fire tore through a Prohibition-era speakeasy known as the Study Club near Detroit's Fox Theater, killing 22 people. That tragedy became a turning point for fire prevention, helping shape fire codes in Detroit and across the country. WWJ reporter Tim Pamplin spoke with Detroit Fire Marshal Don Thomas about how fire safety has changed, and what lessons still apply nearly 100 years later. Click the link to hear the full interview. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)

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From The Study Club to Today: Detroit’s fight to prevent club fires

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