Deaths in fires that were brought about by outright stupidity (Part 1)

1903 Iroquois Theatre in Chicago (killed 603); new building; largest theatre in Chicago; 2,000 people in matinee audience; 500 performers in backstage area; supposedly equipped with an asbestos curtain; short circuit in footlight ignited velvet stage draperies; fire-resistant curtain hung up on stage lights when lowered; curtain burned completely and was later found to be non-fireproof; actors directed audience to remain in seats; actors fled through backstage door; only 1 performer died; incoming air through the backstage door ignited a fireball inside the theatre; no extinguishers or fire hose; fire burned through in 15 minutes and extinguished in 30 minutes; most killed by smoke or trampling; 250 injured; unmarked, blocked exits; inward-opening doors, locked exits; incomplete fire escape; theatre later re-opened for 20 years; deadliest single-building fire in U. S. history, subsequent code revisions required emergency exit lighting, sprinkler systems, extinguishers, fire restrictive scenery and outward-opening doors in public buildings.

1908 Lakeview Grammar School in Colinwood, Ohio (killed 176); malfunctioning basement furnace started a fire which quickly engulfed the front door; construction materials and open stairway caused rapid fire spread in 6-year old, 3-story building with 300 students; single exterior fire escape saved most students from 3rd floor; inward-opening doors, back door locked; most deaths from bottom 2 floors; fire burned out in 3 hours.

1911 Triangle Shirt Waist Factory in New York City (146 killed); non-sprinklered high-rise garment factory; 625 workers on the 8th, 9th and 10th floors; 70 injured; 4 fires in new building previous year; some exits locked from outside, inward-opening exit doors, narrow exits; wood floors and window sashes; only 2 staircases rather than 3 required by building code; 1 of 2 freight elevators was inoperable, remaining elevator soon failed; open gas lighting; cigarette dropped on cloth cuttings started afternoon fire on 8th floor; 1 stair on 9th floor was blocked by fire; locked door on other stair; inward opening doors; sole exterior fire escape collapsed under initial escapees; Fire Department ladders only reached to 6th floor; standpipe hose line was rotted, valves were rusted shut; most workers on 8th and 10th floors were able to evacuate, most on 9th died; 60 young factory girls leaped to their deaths on sidewalk from 8th, 9th and 10th floor windows; some jumped down elevator shaft from 8th floor; some escaped to adjacent high rise; fire burned through in less than 20 minutes, Asch building is still standing; resultant code changes required fire-proofing, sprinkler systems and improved exiting from high-rises; this fire resulted in creation of the first New York City Bureau of Fire Protection, better conditions for workers, enforcement of fire codes for compulsory fire drills and sprinkler installation in factories and eventually led to development of NFPA 101, The Life Safety Code.

1929 Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio (killed 125); 8-year old, 4-story building with 300 occupants; basement steam explosion or cigarette ignited highly-combustible x-ray film; fire door did not work correctly; poisonous yellow smoke carried throughout building by ventilation shafts and stairways; firemen arrived quickly but were unable to enter due to gas fumes; two street entrances blocked by patients; stairways clogged with patients; many fire survivors died days later from gas effects; use of safety film was subsequently required by law.

1930 Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio (killed 329); total population of 4,300 inmates; interior finish contributed to flame spread, possible arson fire started in adjacent scaffold, spread to highly combustible roof; guards delayed unlocking cells; Fire Department arrived 2 minutes after alarm, some prisoners attempted to cut hose, firefighters controlled fire in 2 hours; most deaths occurred in upper 2 tiers of 6-story prison.

1940 Rhythm Club in Natchez, Mississippi (killed 207); fire in a crowded, 1-story dance hall; combustible decorations, 1 decoration caught fire; victims tried to exit through front of 38-foot by 120-foot building, sole exit opened inward; 200 injured in crowd of 700.

1942 Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston (killed 492); Boston Building Department inspected and approved new addition to brick and stucco building shortly before this 5-alarm fire; Fire Department approved inspection performed 8 days prior to fire; electrical wiring by unlicensed contractor; crowd of 1,000 with an occupancy rating of 600; insufficient exits, many rooms with confusing floor plan, numerous alterations; interior decorations of cloth, paper and bamboo; rattan, simulated leather and wood covered walls; ceiling of suspended satin fabric; underage busboy’s match ignited gauze draperies in large basement Melody Lounge; crowd delayed exiting while 10 p.m. fire fought by customers; sole basement exit stair blocked within 2 minutes by crowd, smoke and fire; exterior door at top of basement stair was locked by management because panic hardware was broken; revolving doors at club entrance were jammed by bodies of evacuating guests; 2 other exit doors locked; some doors welded shut; nearby firemen responded to fire prior to receipt of 1st alarm at Fire Department; overturned chairs and tables impeded evacuation; curtains and interior decorations concealed unmarked exits; doors and windows were covered with paint and decorations; lighting system failed; inward-opening door in new street level Broadway Lounge jammed; fire spread throughout complex in just 5 minutes and burned through 4 rooms in 12 minutes; 200 people died in front of 2 revolving doors where bodies were stacked 4 and 5 deep; 100 died in front of new Broadway Lounge exit; bodies blocking doorways prevented firefighter entrance for either rescue or fire suppression; over 200 people injured; something wrong with every building exit; fire officials later stated outward-opening doors could have saved 300 people; little structural damage; subsequent building and fire code changes required revolving doors be supplemented with outward-opening hinged doors and battery-powered emergency exit lighting; led to requirements for a minimum of 2 separate exits for public assembly areas, better marking of exit doors, maximum occupancy certificates, posting of occupancy limits, prohibitions on use of basement areas for assembly, minimum aisle width between tables, securing tables to floor to prevent overturning, limitations on combustibility of interior furnishings, changed code requirements for construction materials and listing restaurants and nightclubs as public assembly areas; eventually led to nightclub requirements for sprinkler systems and accessible exits marked by emergency lighting; many improvements resulting from this fire were incorporated into the Life Safety Code; grand jury indicted 10 people; owner convicted of manslaughter and received 12-15 year sentence; contractor convicted of building law violations and sentenced to 2 years; criminal indictments issued against Building Commissioner, head of the Fire Prevention Bureau, fire inspector and police night captain, all later acquitted; worst multi-death nightclub fire of the 20th century, deadliest U. S. nightclub fire; 2nd deadliest U. S. fire in a single building; eventually led to development of counseling programs for victim family members. As an aside, one of the persons who was badly burned, survived after many skin graft operations. Several years later, he was in a car accident and burned to death.