The Beverly Hills Supper Club was a popular night spot from the 1930s to the 1970s. It burned on May 28, 1977, killing 165 people. The fire was the third worst nightclub fire in the US and changed building-code enforcement. It produced the first disaster case tried as a class action suit, merging 300 claims, and the landmark litigation lasted for years with settlements of some $30 million. It was also the first mass tort action in the USA. Emergency squads came from miles around, and a temporary morgue was set up in the nearby Fort Thomas Armory. For days, families searched for loved ones while the site smoldered, and the story dominated the news. The probable cause was faulty aluminum wiring. Most people in the area knew someone who lost family there.