Iroquois Theatre Fire - Research Paper Example

Some of the most disastrous fires in the United States in the 20th century include the Iroquois theater fire in Chicago in 1903, general Slocum wheel boat fire in 1904 the Ohio State penitentiary fire in 1930, the San Francisco fire in 1909 among other major fires that caused heavy loss of human lives and destruction. After the fire disasters, the fire and safety authorities in the United States have instigated various safety codes in various zones to protect people and property from the imminent risk of fires.

This paper investigates the Iroquois theatre fire, with special focus on the failure of existing code processes at the time, the impact of the fire disaster on the code processes after the incident and the current code processes. In one cold afternoon of December 30 1903 in Chicago, about 2000 patrons most of whom were women and children assembled in the Iroquois theatre. In addition, about 400 performers and stage actors were jammed in the basement, backstage and dressing rooms to witness what was surely an exciting show.

The audience was full of anticipation in readiness to watch a musical comedy, Mr. Bluebeard. Five weeks prior to the staging of the music comedy, the 1,700 capacity Iroquois theatre had just been opened with much excitement from the public and the press (Marshall 1904). According to Marshall (1904, p 27), The Chicago Tribune one of the most reputable dailies in the city described the theater as “virtual temple of beauty”. Iroquois was the finest of all theatres that had been constructed in the United States at the time.

It had been lavishly furnished with marble and plate glass with luxurious mahogany and ornamentation. The theater had a splendid promenade lobby with a sixty feet ceiling from the floor. An impressive flight of staircases ascended on both sides of the theatre. At around 3.00pm, the theatre caught fire and in about fifteen minutes, 602 people had died and over 250 were seriously