This week in Christian history: Chicago Catholic school fire, Rowan Williams elected archbishop
Our Lady of the Angels grade school fire – Dec. 1, 1958
This week marks the anniversary of when a major fire hit a Catholic grade school in Chicago, Illinois, killing 90 students.
The Our Lady of Angels School, a school of about 1,200 students that was operated by the Sisters of Charity in Chicago, met in an old building that had not been adequately prepared for fire safety.
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When a fire broke out in the basement, students on the first floor were evacuated, but those on the second floor were unaware of what was happening until it was too late.
“Panic ensued. Some students jumped out windows to escape. Although firefighters who were arriving on the scene tried to catch them, some were injured. Firefighters also tried to get ladders up to the windows,” noted History. “When the fire was finally extinguished several hours later, the authorities found that 90 students and three nuns had been killed in the fire.”
One of the students who survived the tragic fire was Jonathan Cain, future member of the famed rock band Journey who wrote the song “Don’t Stop Believin.’”
