As I have said many times before, there is much that we can learn from past tragedies.  Fires and other events that have occurred throughout history have shaped today’s model codes, which are updated every three years to address new threats and emerging technologies.

While reading an article in Firehouse Magazine about fires that have occurred in the month of December over the years, I noted several fires where egress doors and/or fire door assemblies played a role.

From the article:

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire, 1958

“As Burkholder reported, the fire had started in the basement and quickly spread up a stairwell. Fire doors on the first floor stopped the smoke and flames, and students on that floor fled the building. Things were much different on the second floor where there were no fire doors and the smoke and flames spread down a hallway, trapping students in five classrooms. The students’ only way out was through the windows. Ironically, a fire department inspector at the school a couple of months before the fire had noted the lack of fire doors upstairs, but because of the building codes and grandfather clauses, he could not demand their installation.”

Ghost Ship Fire, 2016

“As I was doing my 360, what I could see was that the only access into this building was a man-made door that was cut out of a commercial roll-up. And it’s not like it was a clean door that was welded up all nice and neat,” Bowron told the crowd.  When I talked to the engine companies, they were only able to get about 15 or 20 feet through the door and were already getting smoke conditions that were terrible. They were running into pianos and having a hard time trying to make their way in.  It was then that Bowron went with the very difficult decision to not make an announcement to his crews over the radio that there were 50 to 75 people reported to be inside.”

Iroquois Theater Fire, 1903

“The Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago on Dec. 30, 1903, was one of the deadliest single-building disasters in American history, resulting in 602 deaths and 250 non-fatal injuries. The tragedy unfolded during a matinee performance of the musical “Mr. Bluebeard” to a packed audience of about 1,700 people, many of whom were women and children. The fire began around 3:15 p.m. when a broken arc light ignited muslin curtains above the stage. The fire quickly spread to oil-painted wood and canvas set pieces in the catwalks. When stagehands opened a large stage door to escape, the influx of cold air created a massive fireball that engulfed the upper levels of the theater.”

To learn more about these fires and others that have occurred in the month of December, click here to read the article and additional liked information on Firehouse.com.

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