Richmond Theater Fire
Richmond, VA
December 26, 1811
December 26, 1811, was a deadly night in Richmond Virginia when the scenery of the Richmond Theatre caught fire during a show. The Pantomime, ?The Bleeding Nun? was just starting the second act when the raised scenery of the first act caught fire, also igniting the 35 other scenes hanging above the stage. Once the flames were noticed, panic overcame the crowd. Everyone began pushing and running toward the one exit. Of the 598 people in the theatre that night, seventy-two persons died - 54 were women and 18 were men, among them Governor George W. Smith who had plunged back into the burning building to rescue his child. |
