WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. July 29, 2004: National Amusements personnel from the City Center Cinema De Lux theatre in White Plains will meet with White Plains Department of Public Safety Fire experts next week to address evacuation procedures for the new City Center theatres, according to Jennifer McGuire Hansen, spokesperson for the theatre management company.

ON THEIR OWN: The concourse leading to entrances of Cinema De Lux theatres at the City Center. A meeting between National Amusements and Fire Department officials is being scheduled at the insistence of the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Public Safety after an orderly, but alleged unsupervised,  confused evacuation of thousands of movie goers late last Saturday afternoon from the complex after “cooking problem” caused a smoke alarm to sound, prompting a mass exit from all 15 theatres. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

According to Candyce Corcoran, who brought the incident to WPCNR’s attention, she and her husband were in a Director’s Hall with the main feature about to start at approximately 4:30 P.M. At that point a man in a red shirt, identifying himself as a projectionist, said the fire alarm is sounding and that the audience should leave the theatre. However, according to Ms. Corcoran, they were not advised by the official where to exit, and the person had no flashlight. She said there were no lights in the theatre except for the red exit signs and the footlights in the aisles.

DIRECTOR'S HALL, City Center Cinema De Lux, interior. Only aisle footlights and red exit signs were visible after moviegoers were advised to leave the theatre, according to patrons. Sconce lights on wall, lit here were out. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

She said she and her husband elected go to a side exit, and not back out into the main foyer. Corcoran said there were no public address announcements of what the emergency was or where it was located She said patrons were orderly and there was no panic, but personally attributed that to the mature crowd.

Corcoran said that she and her husband exited down a corridor at the side of the theatre but had no idea where they were going, eventually making their way to the street. Once outside the complex, Corcoran said the sidewalks on Main Street were jammed with “thousands” of theatre goers. Some, she said returned inside to the movie.

Ms. Hansen, Corporate Public Relations Director for National Amusements in Boston, commented to WPCNR Thursday afternoon said part of the evacuation problem dealt with where people were being evacuated, and their expressing complaints to the Mayor’s Office and the Fire Department about being evacuated out onto the street, and not being allowed to return to the City Center Garage.

“We will examine this with the Fire Department (next week) to modify our evacuation plan, whether it should be into the Parking Garage, or the Street, (or other parts of the mall.” Ms. Hansen said.

Asked about why there were no Public Address Announcements either by the fire personnel, or the National Amusements employees, Hansen said it was her understanding there was a public address system in the theatre, and that “it was used.” She said she would check into it Persons in the theatre, WPCNR has heard from said, they heard no public address announcements.

Hansen said every National Amusements Cinema de Lux “has an evacuation plan in place.” WPCNR asked if the theatre personnel were drilled on what to do in an emergency, and Hansen said she would get that information.

A spokesman for the Mayor’s Office, Paul Wood, confirmed to WPCNR Tuesday of this week, that the incident did take place, and that the Department of Public Safety had offered to work with National Amusements on evacuation procedures.

WPCNR has learned that all public places are required by the Fire department to have an evacuation plan. White Plains bars are monitored by Fire Department Inspectors for occupancy compliance, for example. However, establishments are not required to submit details of the plan prior to opening.