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Jul 10, 1212
The Great Fire of Southwark
This fire which occurred in London, burned down the Church of St. Mary Overie before reaching the London Bridge which was entirely destroyed except for the stone. It had just been rebuilt, adding shops and homes on the bridge, which were built of wood. Everything burned to the ground. The number of deaths is uncertain. It was believed to have been 3000 but historians disagree, believing that the population of London at the time was only about 5000. -
Period: Dec 2, 1212 to
Structure Fires Throughout TIme
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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
This is the deadliest industrial fire which happened in NYC. There were 146 deaths - 123 of which were women. Because of this fire, legislation was passed to improve safety conditions in the work place and the International Ladies Garment Workers Union was created. -
The Station Nightclub Fire
The Station Nightclub fire happened in West Warwick, Rhode Island during a Great White rock concert. The blaze was started by pyrotechnics during the bands opening song. The manager was found to be at fault for setting off the "show" not knowing that the walls and ceiling were made of flammable sound proofing insulation. The building burned to the ground in 6 minutes and killed 100 people. -
The Ghost Ship
An artist warehouse/loft space in the Fruitvale District of Oakland burned down on Friday night. The Ghost Ship was home to many artists, musicians, dancers, clothing makers, etc. With rising housing costs and gentrifying neighborhoods, it is not unusual in Oakland that 20 - up to sometimes 50 artists - share warehouses. It took 52 firefighters 5 hours to put out the fire. A total of 36 bodies have been confirmed dead. They are leaving it at that number, though there are still people missing.