The Iroquois Theatre Fire of 30 December 1903, Which Killed 602 People in a Building Advertised as Absolutely Fireproof
Five weeks after opening, Chicago's Iroquois Theatre — advertised as "absolutely fireproof" — burned during a matinee packed with women and children. Locked gates, inward-opening doors, and unfinished fire equipment killed 602 people in about twenty minutes, the deadliest single-building fire in US history.
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