Boston Extends Deadline for 57 Nightclubs to Install Sprinklers

Dozens of bars and nightclubs in Boston are being given more time to comply with state regulations requiring fire sprinklers.

The fire department had warned owners of these establishments in November that if they did not install sprinklers within two months, they would be shut down. But officials are now giving reprieves to 57 bars and nightclubs who they say are either in the process of installing the equipment or have shown a commitment to do so.

The 2004 law requires that establishments with capacities of 100 or more people have automatic sprinkler systems. It was approved in the wake of the February 2003 nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., that killed 100 people.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe