The Iroquois Theatre Fire, Part 3: The Aftermath
E34

The Iroquois Theatre Fire, Part 3: The Aftermath

M.S. Schalk; will die. William Patten; will die. Susan Beahl, aged 16; will die. Richard Emelang, stage hand; will die.

In the days after the fire, Chicago newspapers would run headlines like these. Before times of the internet or television, newspapers served as the only means to inform the public about the death tool, injuries, and critically injured. 

"We worked on the fire in the gallery ten or fifteen minutes. Then we got a lamp and looked around to see if we could find anybody alive in the first gallery. The bodies were all together in the first aisle outside of the door and back as far as the center aisles." Captain Edward Buckley, Chicago Fire Department, Engine Company 32. 

With the smell of smoke, steam, and charred human remains heavy in the air, officials began the investigation as to why this "fireproof" theater failed to protect nearly one out of every three persons in attendance that day. 

In this episode, Tyler J. Thomas, Jeff Moss, and Tim Coleman will tell you what contributed to the massive loss of life, and how locksmithing and door hardware changed as a result of it. 

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