Our Lady of the Angels School Fire Chicago, IL
December 1, 1958
Fire broke out at the foot of a stairway in the Chicago, Illinois, Our Lady of the Angels School on December 1, 1958. The elementary and middle school was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. A total of 92 pupils and 3 nuns lost their lives when smoke, heat, and fire cut off their normal means of escape through corridors and stairways. Many perished while jumping from second-floor windows. Another 100 were seriously injured. |