Iroquois Theatre Fire

Date: December 30, 1903 • Location: Chicago Loop, United States

In one of the deadliest single-building fires in United States history, the Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago killed more than 600 people.

The Iroquois Theatre fire was a catastrophic building fire in Chicago, Illinois, that broke out on December 30, 1903, during a performance attended by 1,700 people. The fire caused 602 deaths and 250 non-fatal injuries. It ranks as the worst theater fire in the United States, surpassing the carnage of the Brooklyn Theatre fire of 1876, which claimed at least 278 lives.