Club Med Cancun 1987
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I had just graduated from high school and my best friend Erik and I planned a vacation to Club Med in Cancun as our graduation trip. The Club was a huge place, and the center of the night life revolved around their disco "La Palapa." This thatch roof building was also a restaurant and wind surfing center.
It was the 4th of July, and the Club had it's own professional fireworks display. After the fireworks everyone went to the disco. The place was packed, and everyone was drinking and celebrating. Erik and I had some sparklers so we were outside of the disco playing with them.
Erik tossed one sparkler into the air and the sea breeze caught it, causing the still lit sparkler to land on top of the thatch roof. As soon as it landed we both gasped, because the potential for disaster was obvious. An employee of the club saw the misdirected toss, and he immediately climbed up after it. The sparkler finished sparkling and for a brief moment we breathed a sigh of relief. However, seconds later we could see a small flame on the roof. The employee tried unsuccessfully to pat the flame out with his bare hands. The small flame quickly grew to campfire size, and then larger. The club started to fill with smoke and everyone poured out of the building. Once outside the crowds began to chant the lyrics to a popular song " the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire. We don't need no water let the mother f*cker burn!"
Erik and I were freaking, and we backed away from the scene. As the building became engulfed in flames we left to our room and contemplated our options. We knew we had to come forward, especially since the fire was an accident. However, we were in a foreign country, and at the moment we still were not sure if everyone was safe.
The fire burned all night long. In the morning we tracked down the "chief" of the club and admitted our mistake. Fortunately no one was hurt. He had us sign some insurance papers admitting to the accident, and we left Club Med. Is there a moral to this story? Probably, but who cares.