Negligence or arson?

December 1, 1958. In the basement of Our Lady of Angels Catholic grade school a fire began in a trash can at 2:00 in the afternoon. Thick smoke coming up the stairwell was noticed by three girls returning from an errand. They ran to the second floor to alert teachers.

Meanwhile a window near the fire shattered which allowed oxygen to flow in and fuel the fire. The blaze then quickly swept upstairs consuming five different rooms on the second floor of the north wing. 92 students and three nuns died. Many were injured leaping from windows 25 feet above the ground. Some students were burned so severely that, when firemen tried to pick them up, their bodies broke apart.

As a result of this fatal fire 68% of all American schools made fire safety improvements. Hollywood celebrities like Jack Benny came out to offer comfort to the children in hospital.

The cause of the fire has never been determined but the evidence points to arson. A 10-year old boy confessed to setting the fire. He confessed to several other arsons in the neighborhood and knew details of the Our Lady Of Angels fire that were not publicly known. But later he recanted the story and the matter was dropped.

The school was demolished and rebuilt in 1959.