Major American Fires: Iroquois Theater Fire- 1903

Charred seats show where the fire killed more than 600 people in less than 15 minutes at the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago in 1903. (Chicago Tribune archive)

The Iroquois Theater Fire occurred in Chicago on December 30, 1903. At least 602 people were killed; many were children. The theater, which had only been open one month, was considered to be architecturally excellent, and advertisements had declared it fireproof. The fire occurred during a sold-out performance of the musical Mr. Bluebeard. The fire began when one of the lights over the stage shorted out and ignited a muslin curtain. The fire quickly spread through the flies to the hanging scenery, and a fireball travelled from the stage to the back of the balconies. The high death toll was the result of a combination of faults in the design, construction, and operation of the theater. Lack of extinguishers and alarms, a malfunctioning asbestos curtain, sealed vents, a confusing layout, locked doors, and locked metal gates that blocked the balcony stairways all contributed to the fire's high death toll.