The Iroquois Theater Fire is considered one of the worst building disasters in U.S. history and played a huge role in changing building safety standards.
On Dec. 30, 1903, almost 2,000 people crammed into the Iroquois Theater in Chicago to watch a matinee performance of “Mr. Bluebeard.” But shortly after the second act began, a spark from a stage light caught a curtain on fire. And a blaze soon began to spread.
Though the theater (also called Iroquois Theatre) had opened just five weeks earlier and was billed as “fireproof,” the fire spread from the stage into the audience. And as the panicked crowd rushed to the exits, they created a deadly stampede. Many people were trampled to death, while those who managed to reach the exit doors found that some of them were locked.
Some 600 people ultimately lost their lives in the blaze, and the Iroquois Theater fire was considered the worst building disaster in American history — until September 11, 2001.
How The Iroquois Theater Disaster Began
The Iroquois Theater fire began around 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 30, 1903. The theater was full that day, as 1,700 audience members — plus 250 standing room — had come to see a performance of the musical comedy “Mr. Bluebeard.” Many of the people in the audience were children…