Are Escape Rooms Safe?

Five teens celebrating a birthday party died after a fire left them trapped inside, so how safe are they?

Escape rooms, which require players to find clues to escape a room in a race against the clock, are incredibly popular. 

The recent craze has even inspired the new major motion picture, "Escape Room," which is currently the number two film at the box office. 

But tragedy struck an escape room in Poland last week as five teenage girls celebrating a 15th birthday party died when a fire broke out and trapped them inside.

Now, people are questioning how safe escape rooms are. Inside Edition visited one in New York City to find out.

Brad Albright, who runs Escape Entertainment, said safety is the number one priority. There are multiple ways to get out of each room if a participant ever feels unsafe, he said. Those exits are pointed out before the game begins. 

“After hosting a couple hundred thousand customers, we've never had a safety incident,” he said. 

In case of an emergency, there are ways people inside the room can communicate with the staff, who can open the door to see if everyone is okay. Participants can also push a button that unlocks a main door. 

There are fire extinguishers throughout the building, and security cameras keep a watchful eye on all the players in case of problems.

Albright said if someone was in trouble or needed help they would “absolutely” be able to tell and assist. 

"We're able to see all movements and positions of people throughout [the room],” he said. 

There have been no known escape room deaths in the United States but in light of the recent tragedy on Poland, Albright says everyone should be more aware before playing the game.

“I would just suggest people call ahead and ask what safety precautions a venue has in place,” he said.

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