Exeter Theatre Royal Fire

Date: September 5, 1887 • Location: Exeter, United Kingdom

A fire that killed 186 people broke out at the Theatre Royal, Exeter, England.

On 5 September 1887, a fire broke out in the backstage area of the Theatre Royal in Exeter, England, during the production of The Romany Rye. The fire caused panic throughout the theatre, with 186 people dying from a combination of the direct effects of smoke and flame, crushing and trampling, and trauma injuries from falling or jumping from the roof and balconies.