LibGuides: Major American Fires: Hartford Circus Fire

General Resources

Fire in America by Paul R. Lyons
Call Number: TH 9115.N28 1976
Publication Date: 1976
Hartford Circus Disaster p. 184-185

Hartford Circus Fire: Introduction

The Hartford Circus Fire occured July 6, 1944 in Hartford, Connecticut, during an afternoon performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus before a crowd of 7,000 people. At least 167 people were killed, and over 700 were injured. The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of wax and gasoline. The fire started of unknown causes on the southwest sidewall of the tent. People panicked as they tried to escape the tent; many of the deaths were due to trampling by the crowds, while others were killed when they jumped off the tops of bleachers. The actual number of deaths may have been higher than the official estimates because the crowd included people whose deaths may not have been reported, including people from many of the smaller surrounding communities and drifters who had been given free tickets. The number of injured may have been higher too, as many people from the surrounding communities went home without receiving medical treatment in Hartford.

The fire's cause has never been determined. Several years later, a man claimed that as a teenage employee of the circus, he had started the fire, but due to his history of mental illness, investigators doubted his claims, and later in life, he maintained he was innocent.

Resources at the IFSI Library

These links take you to the IFSI catalog. To request an item, click "Add to Request Bin." This takes you to a page where you can fill out the online request form and submit to the IFSI library. To request items, you must be an Illinois resident with a library card from an Illinois library.

The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan
Call Number: F104.H3.O53 2000
ISBN: 0385496850
Publication Date: 2001
Fire Under the Big Top (VHS and DVD) by A & E Television Networks
Call Number: TH9449.H37.F57 2002
Publication Date: 2002
from the Wrath of God series; also available from IFSI on VHS (Call number F394 .B48 2000)
Wrath of god: hellfire, 1997 by A&E Television Networks
Call Number: TH9505 .H629H5
Publication Date: 1997
From Wrath of God series; covers four major fires: The Great Chicago Fire, Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, Hartford Circus Fire, and Our Lady of the Angels School Fire

Online Resources

NFPA--Hartford Circus Holocaust
This article, published in the July 1944 issue of the NFPA Quarterly, discusses the fire, which had happened earlier that month. It includes a detailed description of the tent, its exits, and the fire based on information from NFPA members and firefighters in the Hartford area. It concludes with corrective measures taken and lessons learned from the fire.
Connecticut State Library--Research Guide to the Hartford Circus Fire, July 6, 1944
This guide includes information about where records can be found in the Connecticut State Archives, including records from the judicial department, governors, state library , department of corrections, state war council, police division of the department of public safety, and photographs, memorabilia, attorney's records, and doctors' records.
Hartford Circus Fire 1944
This site includes extensive information about the fire, including biographical information about victims and survivors, images from before and after the fire, the memorial and memorial bricks, personal accounts from survivors, information about audio recordings, books, magazines in which the fire was discussed, and a page with facts and figures about the fire.
HartfordHistory.net--The Hartford Circus Fire
This site, dedicated to the history of Hartford, Connecticut, includes a description of the fire, information about the memorial, and a short list of books and videos about the fire. The site's blog includes a post showing a commemorative annual ceremony at the memorial.
FireRescue1--10 Human Panic Factors the make a Circus Fire Deadly
This article, written for firefighters, discusses the panic response to disasters and lessons learned from the circus fire.

Videos

These videos were uploaded by Youtube user circusfire1944dotcom, who also has uploaded other videos about the fire, as well as videos of the memorial dedication, a survivor interview, and circus footage from the late 1930s through early 1950s.