Iroquois Theater Fire
The Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago, Illinois, claimed 602 lives
on December 30, 1903. It is, as of 2007, the single-building
fire in U.S. history with the most fatalities, claiming over 100 more fatalities than the Cocoanut Grove fire in
At about 3:15 P.M., a light ignited a curtain. The firefighting equipment on hand was ineffective and the protective asbestos curtain failed to drop completely. Actors and dancers fled through a backstage door, and the influx of air fueled a huge fireball. Locked exits, doors that opened inward, and unfinished fire escapes prevented many people from escaping. Of the 500 or so actors, dancers, stagehands, etc., a tightrope walker died. Comedian Eddie Foy was hailed as a hero for attempting to calm the crowd. Foy's role in this disaster is recreated by Bob Hope in the film The Seven Little Foys.
After the fire, it was revealed that fire inspectors had been bribed with free tickets to overlook code violations. Accusations began to appear that the asbestos curtain was not asbestos. The curtain had "disappeared" which meant it was either viewed as incriminating evidence and removed or had burned, in which case it could not have been asbestos (which does not burn). Regardless, the Mayor ordered all theaters in Chicago closed for a week after the fire.
As a result of public outrage, many were charged with crimes, including Mayor Carter Harrison, Jr., but most charges were dismissed. The only person convicted was a tavern keeper charged with robbing the dead.
The exterior of the Iroquois was largely intact and reopened as the Colonial Theater, which was torn down in 1926 to make way for the Oriental Theater.
Developments from the disaster
A result from the Iroquois fire was the development of the first panic exit device by the Von Duprin exit device company, now a part of Ingersoll Rand. Panic exit devices are now required by building codes for high-occupancy spaces.
References
Anonymous. Lest We Forget: Chicago's Awful Theatre Horror. Chicago: Memorial Publishing, 1904.
External links
- Iroquois Theater Fire hosted by Chicago Public Library, with illustrations and links to primary and contemporaneous sources. Accessed July 27, 2007.
- The Iroquois Theater Fire with photographs. Accessed July 27, 2007.
- Burning Down The House: The Iroquois Theater Fire Accessed July 27, 2007.
- Iroquois Theater Fire Memorial photograph of memorial at Montrose Cemetery, Chicago. Accessed July 27, 2007.
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