38th anniversary of Summerland fire disaster

50 people lost their lives when a fire ripped through the state of the art leisure complex in Douglas.

Today marks the 38th anniversary since the Summerland Fire Disaster.

50 people lost their lives when a fire ripped through the state of the art leisure complex in Douglas.

More than 80 people were also seriously injured in the tragedy on the 2nd August 1973.

Summerland was designed to accommodate up to 10,000 tourists and had five floors of holiday games, restaurants and bars.

The £2 million complex was destroyed in less then an hour.

Community, Culture and Leisure Minister David Cretney was there and recalls the moment the building went up in flames. He told 3FM; 'I saw the smoke and went to see what was going on. It's such a tragedy and so unfortunate that it ended up the way it did.'

The fire was started by a group of three boys smoking.

An independent report into the fire states that the disaster 'will remain a permanent scar in the minds of Manxmen.'