Bronx residents held a somber memorial for the 87 people killed by an arsonist at the Happy Land Social Club on March 25, 1990, one of the deadliest tragedies of the century.
Community Board 6 organized a mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, followed by a vigil at the nearby granite monument honoring the victims who died 36 years ago at the unlicensed nightclub at Southern Blvd. and East Tremont in West Farms.
Community members read victims’ names and released a slew of white balloons, and some wore customized shirts with names and images of their loved ones lost.
The fire at Happy Land, which was deliberately set by a man upset at his girlfriend inside, was the deadliest tragedy since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on the same date in 1911, and it remained the deadliest attack on American soil until Sept. 11, 2001.
Many of the victims were from the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna community with Honduran roots, as well as Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, African Americans and others.
The investigation later determined that the building had no fire exits, sprinklers or other safety features, highlighting the need for stricter regulation of public gathering spaces.
This year, the memorial held special significance, as Rep. Ritchie Torres issued House Resolution 1123, designating March 25, 2026, as a day of remembrance.
The resolution states that the incident, “left an indelible mark on the Bronx, shaping its collective memory and reminding Americans of the profound human cost when public safety regulations are ignored.”
“The Happy Land fire is a painful chapter in the history of the Bronx that must never be forgotten,” said Torres in a statement to the Bronx Times.
“I was proud to introduce a resolution in Congress designating March 25 as a day of remembrance for the 87 lives lost. The Bronx remembers Happy Land, and so do I.”
Council Member Oswald Feliz spoke at the vigil, saying that even when a building fire does occur, it shouldn’t necessarily result in a drastic loss of life. Building owners and city enforcement need to do their part, he said.
“87 members of this community deserved to live,” Feliz said, adding that building safety remains “a top priority” today.
As memorial attendees mourned the lives lost, joined by several members of the NYPD, FDNY and EMS, it was impossible not to think of other Bronx building fires that have displaced, injured and killed thousands of residents over the years.
ABC7 reported in 2022 that since Happy Land in 1990, the four deadliest fires in New York City occurred in the Bronx. The borough saw another fatal fire on East 184th St. just the morning after the memorial, and Council Member Justin Sanchez has previously argued for FDNY to add one more firefighter to each Bronx unit, enabling them to respond more quickly when disaster strikes.
Isabel Gamoneda told the Bronx Times that she lost her two brothers, who were 23 and 18, at Happy Land. Ever since then, she has returned to the memorial on every anniversary and holidays to hang a sign with her brothers’ photos.
But less than three years ago, Gamoneda had her own close call when a fire broke out at her building on Valentine Ave. Thankfully, no one was injured, but, “I was looking out the window like, oh my God. I was scared,” she said.
Thurito Martinez, who also attended the memorial, told the Bronx Times he was only 4 or 5 years old when the Happy Land fire killed his cousin, Marto Benito Martinez.
He said he mourns the fact that he never had the opportunity to know his cousin well, and since much of his family lives outside of New York, “I’ve been tasked to keep this alive,” Martinez said.
He said each year the memorial brings “a sense of nostalgia” but also disappointment that the Garifuna community still has no dedicated gathering place for events and celebrations.
Large groups of people tend to hang out at basements, house parties and “places that are not fully safe,” Martinez said. He especially worries about his six nephews, some of whom are teenagers being “raised in the culture.”
Whenever young people go to parties, “They may not be in the safest place because of the lack of a center,” Martinez said.
Such a space would be important for the Garifunas, who bear the “collective grief” of the tragedy, but also great cultural pride, Martinez said. “It’s so sad that it took a tragedy like Happy Land for a community of people to be discovered.”
As for his cousin, “I know he’s resting in peace,” Martinez said. But he said the Happy Land fire robbed many people of their sense of security in going about their daily lives.
“Something like this shouldn’t happen to no one just because they want to have fun,” he said. “As human beings, we’re entitled to socialize and everything. You don’t go out to socialize thinking you’re not gonna see the light of day.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
