St. Anthony's Hospital Fire
St. Anthony's Hospital Fire was a disaster that occurred on April 4, 1949[1] in Effingham, Illinois. The disaster killed 74 people at the hospital. It is used as a prime example of possible fire hazards hospitals could and can have.[2] St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham, Illinois, was operated by the Sisters of St. Francis, who lived in a convent next door.
The 100-bed hospital was constructed mainly out of wood and brick. Parts of the building dated back to 1876. By 1949 the facility was completely outdated. It contained open corridors and staircases. Many walls and ceilings were covered with oilcloth fabrics and combustible soundproof tiles. The building lacked sprinklers as well as fire detection and alarm systems.
Shortly before midnight on April 4, 1949, a fire broke out at St. Anthony's Hospital. It spread rapidly through the building because of the open construction of the building and the combustible building materials.
There were 116 patients and ten staff on duty when the fire started. Many of them were trapped on the upper floors by the rapid spread of the fire. These included eleven newborn infants in the nursery and the nurse who stayed behind with them.[3]
A total of 74 people died, including patients, nurses, nuns, a priest and Frank Ries, the hospital superintendent who ran into the flames to try to rescue his wife.[4]
The 26 men and three pumpers of the Effingham Volunteer Fire Department were no match for the rapidly spreading fire. Eleven mutual aid departments also responded.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. However, investigators quickly identified the many safety deficiencies at St. Anthony's Hospital. In response to the fire, Governor Adlai Stevenson ordered the evaluation of all the hospitals in the state to identify and mitigate fire hazards. The impact of the fire went beyond Illinois as hospitals across the United States made many of the fire protection improvements that are standard today.