Memorial to the 600+ people who died in the Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903. What started the blaze was a piece of the canvas brushed against a hot reflector behind a calcium arc spotlight. The fire spread quickly. By the time firefighters arrived, the auditorium was silent. Firemen snuffed out the blaze within half an hour. A temporary morgue was set up nearby to allow friends and relatives to identify the victims. Many of the victims were buried in Montrose, Forest Home and Graceland cemeteries in Chicago. The Iroquois fire, with 602 casualties, was the deadliest blaze in Chicago history, second in the United States and fourth worldwide. In the United States, the disaster was unmatched even by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed 250, or the 1942 Coconut Grove night club blaze in Boston, which claimed 490 lives. Under the new laws, the fire code was changed to require theater doors to open outwards, to have exits clearly marked and fire curtains made of steel. The theater management was required to practice fire drills with ushers and theater personnel. The Iroquois, which sustained only light interior damage, was repaired and reopened less than a year later as the Colonial Theater. In 1926, it was torn down to make way for the Oriental Theatre.
Memorial to the 600+ people who died in the Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903. What started the blaze was a piece of the canvas brushed against a hot reflector behind a calcium arc spotlight. The fire spread quickly. By the time firefighters arrived, the auditorium was silent. Firemen snuffed out the blaze within half an hour. A temporary morgue was set up nearby to allow friends and relatives to identify the victims. Many of the victims were buried in Montrose, Forest Home and Graceland cemeteries in Chicago. The Iroquois fire, with 602 casualties, was the deadliest blaze in Chicago history, second in the United States and fourth worldwide. In the United States, the disaster was unmatched even by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed 250, or the 1942 Coconut Grove night club blaze in Boston, which claimed 490 lives. Under the new laws, the fire code was changed to require theater doors to open outwards, to have exits clearly marked and fire curtains made of steel. The theater management was required to practice fire drills with ushers and theater personnel. The Iroquois, which sustained only light interior damage, was repaired and reopened less than a year later as the Colonial Theater. In 1926, it was torn down to make way for the Oriental Theatre.
Bio by: Shock
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