Katie Jane Nursing Home Fire
Warreton, MO
February 17, 1957
Fire broke out at the Katie Jane Nursing Home in Warrenton, Missouri, at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, February 17, 1957. The fire started in a hallway of the 65-year-old two-story brick structure. Shortly after the fire's start, a muffled explosion shot flames and smoke billowing into the air. There were 155 residents, about 50 visitors, and a number of employees in the building at the time. Firemen from 25 nearby communities, townspeople, and attendants rushed into the burning building and helped bedridden inmates and the injured out before flames thwarted further rescue attempts. They could hear screams and cries for help, as they were unable to re-enter the burning building. About ten people jumped from windows onto mattresses. The fire spread quickly and engulfed the entire building within minutes. The roof collapsed into the second floor, and then the second floor collapsed into the first floor, with the mass of burned debris ending up in the basement. Thirty-nine patients in an adjoining building were evacuated. Seventy people were reported missing after the fire. Firefighters searching through the debris in the basement recovered what was left of bodies. They were burned so badly that the pieces were collected in small cardboard boxes or plastic bags. Seventy-two people died in the fire. The property damage was about $250,000. |
