Where GoodAh!!! now serves silog, Ozone Disco once burned

162 people died and 95 were injured in the March 1996 fire.

GoodAh!!! along Timog Avenue is the place to be for silog or goto, especially at ungodly hours.

Branding itself as open “25 hours a day,” it stays alive past midnight with loud music, bright lights, and a steady stream of night owls, commuters, and partygoers sobering up.

But not everyone knows what once stood before this homey joint.

Thirty years ago, the spot was home to Ozone Disco, the site of the worst fire in Philippine history and among the deadliest nightclub fires in the world.

It was March 18, 1996. The school year had just ended. Electronic music was at its peak. The club offered a 50% discount promo.

The venue, built for only 35 people, reportedly held around 350 guests and 40 employees that night.

The DJ played hit after hit as the crowd drank and danced. Then sparks flew from the ceiling above the DJ booth. Smoke followed. Many thought those were special effects for the celebration.

By the time people saw the growing flames, it was too late. They rushed toward the exit—only to bottleneck at a single door that opened inward. (It was supposedly designed that way for “good feng shui,” to keep fortune “flowing in.”)

The fire spread rapidly, consuming the space within minutes. In the end, 162 people died and 95 were injured.

The tragedy was later immortalized in music through Pupil’s “Disconnection Notice” and Unique Salonga’s “Ozone (Itulak ang Pinto).” It was also featured in several ABS-CBN and GMA documentaries. 

Several failures contributed to the disaster: the inward-opening door was also blocked by a building; the lack of proper fire exits and sprinkler systems; and defective fire extinguishers.

Investigations and court findings later showed that Quezon City building officials at the time hastily approved the club’s permits and clearances—despite clear violations of the National Building Code—in exchange for bribes.

In November 2014, the Sandiganbayan found seven former Quezon City officials and two club owners guilty of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The owners were also earlier convicted of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple serious injuries.

The charred structure stood abandoned for years before it was demolished in 2015, nearly two decades after the fire. In October 2016, GoodAh!!! opened in its place.

Today, it remains what most people know it as: a late-night spot for silog, goto, and other Pinoy comfort food, long after others have closed.